Diana Irish Funeral (Graveside) - 11.23.20

We gather to remember, celebrate, and give thanks to the Lord for the life of Diana Irish. We gather as an intimate group consisting of those people who meant the most to Diana even though there is some sense in which this funeral should be in a packed sanctuary with all the people who were impacted by her life, her generosity, and her example of faith.

Our comfort is found in the Lord this day. We read in the Bible these familiar words from David,

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Let's pray together,

Father, we stand before you with a certain measure of numbness because this all seems to have happened so quickly. We are also numb because we are at the holidays, one of Diana's favorite times of the year.

Help us to remember, renew hope, and find comfort in this time of deep loss. Grant us the comfort of your presence, we ask in Jesus' name.

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Diana (Todd) Irish was born on May 27th, 1933 in La Harpe Ill. She graduated from LaHarpe High School in 1951 as Valedictorian of her class. She attended Knox College after that. On July 23, 1952 she married Theodore "Ted" Irish. They were blessed with four children: Todd, Gina, Lisa, and Mark. Lisa died of a rare brain cancer in 1963. Just a year or so following Lisa's death Diana was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery and was cancer free for the rest of her life. On the 50th anniversary of her survival she went into the restaurant and paid the bill for everyone in attendance as her way of celebrating her blessing.

Diana was President of LaHarpe Telephone Company from 1975 - 1998. Diana served as president of the Western Illinois University Foundation from 1991 - 1993. It was here that she helped decide how scholarships were dispersed. She was always eager to be an advocate for deserving students from La Harpe. She was fair and did not judge people because of race or socio-economic status. She was so good at this job that she was offered a seat on the Board of Governors but declined. Diana was also a member of the D.A.R., the Mother’s Club and a member and past president of the Chapter B.O. of the LaHarpe P.E.O. I knew her best from her involvement at the Union Church of La Harpe, where she was active on various boards and committees. She was fixture in her seat every Sunday morning.

Diana was raised by her parents to be an independent thinker. Her parents reasoned with her as an adult rather than cater to her as a child. This made her an uncommonly forward thinker. She saw things coming down the road before others did. This is what enabled the La Harpe Phone Company to remain independent when other phone companies were swallowed up by larger corporations. Diana wanted to maintain hometown service for her hometown.

Diana loved her dogs: Dalmatians, Shelties, and her favorites, her Labs. Gina said her mom was sort of a dog whisperer. She had a way with dogs. She also had a real soft spot for dogs and would spend whatever was necessary to save her dogs.

She loved her husband. She and Ted were different in some ways but they worked well together. Both of them knew what the other one was good at and they deferred to each other in those areas.

Diana loved to travel. Ted was not as eager to travel. Diana took numerous bus tours (she didn't like to fly) and often traveled with one of the kids. On family vacations they always knew when the car started to head for home there would be some long days in the car because Ted would be eager to return to the farm.

Diana also loved music and was an avid photographer. She admired the southwest Indian culture. She valued and respected her family history and did her best to live up to the reputation her family had earned. Did I mention she also loved to shop especially for antiques.

As a mom, Diana wasn't necessarily domestic but she was always there for her children and her grandchildren. She was a good cook, she just wasn't interested in spending a lot of time in the kitchen. She took her children wherever they needed to go for lessons in whatever they wanted to learn. She made sure her children knew they were loved. I am sure losing a child to brain cancer increased her desire to "savor the moments." She liked to take the kids to museums and exhibits and tried to bring as many of those kinds of things into La Harpe that she could manage.

She knew she had influence in the community, but she always weighed the cost before she intervened. However, she was not shy about standing up for her children (and grandchildren). When Jenny was in High School, she was the Valedictorian. The school board thought about sharing the awards between several students to keep everyone happy. Diana called the school and pointed out that in a race you didn't present the gold medal to several people because they were all "pretty close" to each other. Jenny spoke as the sole Valedictorian.

Diana tried to not discriminate between her children or her grandchildren. They were equal and she sought to treat them all equally. Her children were important to her and they took good care of her right up to the end.

When Gina went off to college her mom made sure she had something in her mailbox EVERY day. She helped all her children navigate through various physical setbacks. Her children were encouraged to follow the path they wanted to follow, and she supported them as they did so. They didn't have to work at the phone company but were welcomed if they wanted to be part of the business.

Diana Irish had a way with people. She was proud the phone company had the lowest bad debt in the state. This was because she was so good at diffusing problems and working with people.

She navigated some big problems in her own life. First her daughter died of cancer, then she contracted breast cancer, and her husband suddenly took his own life. These are all devastating things. Diana faced each of these problems boldly and worked hard to keep moving forward. It was not that she did not feel the pain - she certainly did. However, in each case she made the choice to keep living even as she tried to learn all she could from these times.

Perhaps this is why Diana was such a generous woman. We will never know how many people she helped over the years, how many bills she paid for another, and how many ways she quietly stepped in to help someone with a need. She helped set up the first La Harpe Computer Lab at the school; When the Nursing home was threatening to shut down at the of the week because of a $10,000 financial need, she got the money to keep it going. I am sure there were times when the church struggled, and she made sure the budget was balanced. There was a young man who had his car seats vandalized and Diana quietly paid for him to have slip covers for his seats. I know she was always generous at Christmastime. Only God knows how many people she helped over the years in one way or another. She did not do any of this with fanfare. In fact, she preferred no one knew what she had done. It wasn't about gaining credit; it was about giving back to her community. In fact, she would be embarrassed at the things I have shared.

Diana believed people should work hard. But if you were working hard, she was willing to help you if you needed help. People who worked at the phone company were always treated well. She always tried to support other businesses in town.

I had numerous good conversations with Diana. In fact, she was an early supporter of my desire to write. She read and commented on my very first manuscript which was never published (because it wasn't good). She waded through the entire thing trying to be encouraging.

Anyone who knew Diana Irish knew she was cheering for you. Our community has lost a significant leader. And as I said earlier, if it had not been for the restrictions, I am sure there would have been a big crowd of people here to give testimony to the influence she had in their lives.

Diana had a strong faith. She read her Bible every day and I believe she was a true person of prayer. Her health declined suddenly this year and the isolation of Covid-19 seemed to exacerbate the situation. Early on November 20th she went home to the Lord she loved and to family she was eager to see again.

She is survived three children, Todd (Cindy) Irish of LaHarpe, Gina (Gary Cook) Irish of Overland Park, KS and Mark (Patty) Irish of LaHarpe, 6 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and a very grateful community.

___

The Apostle Paul wrote,

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Our hope and confidence today is anchored to the resurrection of Jesus. The apostle Paul says, without the resurrection we could only be standing here comforting ourselves with wishful thinking, hoping for the best.

Diana believed firmly in the resurrection of Christ and salvation by grace through faith. Fortunately, the evidence for the actual and physical resurrection of Jesus is staggering. There were eyewitnesses, an empty tomb, appearances to large groups of people, and a dramatic change in all the followers of Jesus who suddenly went from timid and afraid, to bold and fearless. I believe anyone who objectively looks at the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus will see that this is not wishful thinking but instead is the foundation of our hope and our motivation for Godly living.

However, it is one thing to embrace the fact of the resurrection, it is another to entrust yourself to the One who was resurrected. Diana Irish was one who trusted Christ.

There will be many people who will say, "Of course Diana Irish is in Heaven because of all the good things she did in this life." To say such a thing is to misunderstand the gospel and to misunderstand Diana.

The message of Christianity is: all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. In other words, there is no one who is good enough to earn salvation. No one will get into Heaven because of their good deeds or generous acts. No one does good things all the time. That is what would be required to earn salvation. Instead, we are all people who have fallen short of what God requires from us.

The gospel is the good news that God sent Jesus to rescue us. God became man to live the life none of us could live. He then gave that life to pay for the sin of all who would embrace and follow Him. He rose from the dead as an exclamation point that testified to the sufficiency of His sacrifice and the reality of life beyond the grave.

Diana Irish understood this and embraced Christ. She did good things BECAUSE she was a recipient of God's grace and mercy . . . not as a means to that grace and mercy. She never felt God owed her anything; she knew she owed Him EVERYTHING.

So as we stand in this place today we can stand here as numb cynics or as fellow believers holding on to a sure hope. If you are the former, I urge you to examine the actual evidence for the resurrection of Jesus rather than embracing the mere slogans of His detractors. If you are the later then we grieve knowing our grief is not for Diana's loss (she has lost nothing and gained an inheritance that makes the things of this life look like carnival trinkets). We grieve for OUR loss. And as we do so it is good for us to remember and celebrate what she taught us,

1. We are given one life and it is up to us to savor it and make the best use of it we can make.

2. In times of devastation, we can only trust that God is doing something we don't see and rely on Him for strength.

3. As we have opportunity, we should be willing to help those who are doing their best but need some help to move ahead.

4. Godly acts come out of personal time spent with God. And truly godly acts are done quietly without any need for public acclaim or expected payback. One of the most significant godly acts we can do for another is pray.

5. Each person is given gifts and abilities by God. Our task is not to make others into what we want them to be but to set them free to be what God created them to be.

6. Even when circumstances prohibit someone from receiving the honor they deserve, the well-done of the Lord, is the only honor that will matter.

7. A person's true legacy is not in the things they own or the titles they have gained, but it is in the lives God impacted through them.

It is an impossible task to try to capture such a rich life in such few words. May the stories and insights continue to open up before us as the years move forward. May the lessons of her life lead us to a faith that is genuine and a life that works hard to reveal that faith to others.

Let's pray,

Father, we have been blessed by you through the life of Diana Irish and we thank you. Thank you for Diana's faith. Help us not to look past that faith as we look at the things she achieved or the life she lived. Help us to covet her heart more than we covet her possessions,

Father grant your blessing and your peace to this family as they seek to carry on a legacy that is significant. Fill the void left in their lives with your presence. Help them to discover many more wonderful things about Diana in the weeks and months ahead.

And father, help us to have a faith that is anchored to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus so our hope might be sure, and our future might be secure in Him. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.