Funeral for Dorothy Litchfield

Background music

Good Morning and thank you for coming to this Celebration of life for Dorothy Litchfield. I especially want to welcome Dorothy’s son Charles who was not able to be here in person but hopefully has been able to connect with us online. Welcome Charles, we are honored to remember Dorothy with you and the rest of her family today.

We will begin this morning by singing the song Amazing Grace, my chains are gone. A version of the old classic hymn that Dorothy knew and would even help lead in her times on the praise team here at Friendship Church. You can find the words for the song in your program, and please join us as we sing.

Congregational Singing: Amazing Grace

Scripture Reading: Psalm 90:1-17

Psalm 90 ESV

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. 1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 3 You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” 4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. 5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: 6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. 7 For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed. 8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. 9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. 10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. 11 Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? 12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. 13 Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! 14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. 16 Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. 17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Prayer

O Lord, we pray that you would be the lifter of our heads this day as we gather to celebrate the life and our love for Dorthy Litchfield who has gone to be with you. It is through your goodness that we are here to share our memories of Dorothy and even though she is no longer with us physically, we rejoice knowing that we will see her when we join you in heaven some day. We remember that death has lost it’s sting, it has been swallowed up the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to remember that our labor is not in vain, and we pray that you would establish the work of our hands this day. Take control of everything that will happen in this place Lord, that it would all be done for your glory. And we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior. Amen.

Reading the Obituary

Dorothy M. Litchfield, 81 of Mondovi passed away Monday, November 16, 2020 at Trempealeau County Health Care Center in Whitehall, Wisconsin.  She was born in Arkansaw, Wisconsin September 17, 1939 the daughter of Ruby (Bignell) and Dale Rageth.

Dorothy married Gordon Neil Litchfield and together they owned and operated Litchfield Café in Durand. She was a member of Friendship Church, nursing assistant and caregiver for many years at the American Lutheran Home, enjoyed playing cards and bingo at the Marten Senior Center and spending many days out with her granddaughters.  Dorothy was very proud to have accomplished her GED and acquiring her driver's license at 45 years young.  Dorothy was a DEN Mother to her son Chris' Cub Scouts and growing up always had a dinner made and baked goods for everyone. 

Dorothy is survived by her sons, Chris and Charles Litchfield, grandchildren, Danielle (Angela) Whitman, Isaac Litchfield, siblings; Marie (Doug) Gavin, Irene (Dennis) Hatt, Betty (Charles) Gooden, Ed (Judy), Glen, Mary (Robert) Doody, David, Larry (Dorothy), John, Dale (Jennifer) and Nancy (Roger) Hammett and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews.  She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Gordon, sisters; Doreen, Elaine Kay Ramsey and one brother; Elmer Rageth.

Message

That is a collection of some of the information about Dorothy, but what you and I remember is not just the “facts” about Dorothy’s life, but the relationship that we had with her. This is what Memorial services are really all about. They serve a three fold purpose

To Remember the Departed

Comfort the Bereaved

Prepare the Living

First of all...

I. They serve to REMEMBER THE DEPARTED

because too often our lives get so busy and entangled with those things that seem most urgent that we don’t take time to stop and appreciate the impact that someone has made on our lives. Times like this provide us this opportunity.

I am sure that the many conversations that were had before the service today and those that will be had following have been full of stories of how Dorothy has touched our lives in one way or another. Whether it be from those who called her mother, grandmother, sister or aunt Or those who were privelaged to call her friend, neighbor or coworker. Those who served along side her at the Durand cafe’, the nursing home or in her many roles here at Friendship Church. We all have the opportunity today to remember the impact that sweet Dorothy has had on our lives.

I did not know Dorothy as long as many of you, but I did get to sit with her a few times at her place over at the Highland apartments just a few blocks from here. I remember her joy in telling me the stories of the many pictures that hung around the room as she remembered good times in the past from the pictures of many of you. And is a good, right and fitting thing that we stop today to remember our time with Dorothy and share those stories with each other.

Secondly,

II. Memorial Services serve to COMFORT THE BEREAVED

In truth, there is great comfort to be found in spending time sharing with each other the good times that we had with Dorothy, but even more comforting than this is to remember what Dorothy knew to be true, that death is not the end for those who trust in Jesus.

In his message, “The Victory of Life” Charles Kingsley said:

"You see death is not death if you know the Lord. It is merely a change of place, a change of state, a transfer from one realm to another.

Death is not death, if it kills no part of us, except that which hindered us from the perfect life.

Death is not death, if it raises us in a moment from darkness to light, from weakness to strength, from sinfulness to holiness.

Death is not death, if it perfects our faith by making it sight, and let’s us behold Him in whom we have believed.

Death is not death, if it rids us of doubt and fear, sickness and disease, of sorrow and sadness.

Death is not death, if it gives us to those we loved and lost, fro whom we lived, to whom we long to live again.

Death is not death, for Christ has conquered death for Himself, and for those who trust in Him."

[Charles Kingsley - Sermon III - "The Victory of Life" - The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Water of Life and Other Sermons by Charles Kingsley - www.infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/etext04/wtlf10.htm]

There is comfort in knowing that this is true for Dorothy. Dorothy has many times expressed the importance of her relationship with Jesus Christ through faith. So we know that for Dorothy, death was not the end of anything worth holding on to. She has gone to be with Jesus and to spend eternity in his presence along with her husband and other loved ones who have gone on before. And she has no pain now. No limitations. She must be up there cooking up a storm for Gordy and enjoying every moment more blissfully than the last. So there is comfort in knowing that Dorothy is with Jesus, and that we can see Dorothy again.

You see we can read the end of the book,

Revelation 21:3–4 ESV

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

This is where sweet Dorothy is now, and this is the place that God has prepared for all who trust in Him. And that is the third thing that we are after here this morning.

III. Memorial Services are to PREPARE THE LIVING

The reality is that none of us are given a choice about whether to meet death, or even when to meet death, only how we will meet it. Even a long full like like Dorothy’s is short compared to eternity, yet we have been given whatever time we have here to prepare for everything that is next. There is not a step in between this brief life and the eternal one. Now is our time to prepare. Now is our time to decide what it is that we will trust in when we meet our end.

Dorothy knew this. She was so ready to be with her Lord. To be free from the pain and physical limitations of her broken body that betraying her on so many levels. Having only known her in her later years I have to use my imagination, but many of you can clearly see Dorothy not only sitting up straight but from what I have heard busily working about a kitchen to prepare and serve a meal for those she cared for. And it is fun to imagine her doing that and even greater things now with no physical limitations and even greater joy. She spent many years on the praise team here at Friendship Church and loved doing it. I know her voice is ringing out stronger than ever in praise and worship of her savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ.

The fact that this is the only time that we have to prepare for our eternity should cause us to examine our lives. To take a look back and ask: What has my life been up to this point? Am I satisfied with it in the face of my eternity? And to take a look forward: On what am I placing my hope for the future? In what am I trusting in today? If today were the final day of my life, would I be ready?

Jesus said:

John 14:1–6 ESV

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Dorothy knew that the way to heaven, the way to be with the Father, was only through Jesus Christ his Son, and because she loves you I know that she would want you to know that this is the only way, and that you would trust in it.

Once when Jesus was still walking the earth, he received the news of the death of one of his good friends named Lazarus. This grieved him deeply, and he made plans to go to the funeral, even though it was dangerous for him to do so, because last time he was there the religious leaders tried to kill him. The Gospel of John tells the story like this:

John 11:17–26 ESV

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

That is the question that Jesus asked this grieving sister that day, and I believe it is the ultimate question for us to consider. What do we believe about Jesus. Dorothy believed that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and because she believed in him “death is not death” for her, but only the beginning a new life, a perfect life, an eternal life with Jesus Christ her Savior and Lord. And I believe she would want you to consider Jesus’ question “Do you believe this?”

One of the ways that I know that Dorothy would want you to consider that question today is because she had favorite song that her good friend Denny wanted to tell you something about how special this song was to Dorothy.

Congregational Singing: I’ll Fly Away

Even as we grieve for our loss over no longer having Dorothy here with us, we can be comforted in the memories of our time with her, and in the certainty that she is now “In the land where joys shall never end” This is the future that she wants for everyone of her family of and friends to meet her again with Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

Will you please pray with me as we close.

Closing Prayer

Closing Music as the casket, friends and family