Larry Frusher Funeral Service

Opening

Welcome

Scripture Reading - Psalm 121

Psalm 121:1–8 CSB

1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. 4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. 5 The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side. 6 The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. 7 The Lord will protect you from all harm; he will protect your life. 8 The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever.

PRAY!

Reading of Obituary

Larry Robert Frusher passed away January 14, 2021 at the Ness City hospital; he was born May 7, 1947 at Dodge City, the son of Robert Graham and Reta (pronounced Rita) Anne Jedlicka Frusher. Except for his years in college and his first year of marriage, he has resided on the Edgar Frusher Homestead established in 1878, Valley Township, Hodgeman County. He attended Union Number One rural school through eighth grade and graduated Jetmore High School May 1965. He attended Kansas State University majoring in Ag Mechanization —a cross between agriculture and engineering. He was short one semester when his dad insisted he get back to the farm. He was one of the students who watched the old Ahearn Fieldhouse burn. He thought the students could have put that out but authorities kept that from happening. He was photographed on the front row at Robert F Kennedy’s Landon Lecture at KSU.

He leveled land on the Byrum place to install flood irrigation. He was raising his own beef cattle as a teenager. His 4-H steers shown in Ness County were so tame he could stand on their backs. He began operating a combine on an old Super 27 Massey with no cab, just an umbrella. He never complained of the heat or the cold or even dusty days. Only one time does Kathy remember him doing extra farm work on a Sunday. A fierce wind was eroding the soil and he elected to plow to try to control it rather than be in church. To work on Sunday would be an invitation to be broke down the rest of the week. His work ethic was over the top.

On July 15, 1978 he married Kathleen Dianne Brown, an Okie teaching school at Hanston. To this union in 1979 were born twins, Benjamin Jessie and Bobbi Ann. Younger brother Joseph Thomas was born in 1985. Larry saw that all three graduated college. What wonderful memories visiting the kids and going to an occasional Wildcat hoops and football. He followed the Wildcats and KC Chiefs games on the radio.

Larry remodeled several homes, built with his brother Russell a farm home for his dad and stepmother, Thelma Wilkerson Frusher, built a farm shop and a complicated corral system for his cattle. He spent many a winter night delivering baby calves; he delighted in caring for cattle. He was adept at spotting a sick animal.

He served on the board at Hodgeman Community Church and as treasurer of that church for several years, was an elder for the Faith Fellowship Bible Church, served on the Pawnee County Watershed Board (1997-2017), was on Hodgeman County fair board and treasurer for several years and was a member of the Family Alliance for Christian Temperance. Larry’s favorite part of the Bible was prophecy, a love he picked up from his mother. He had his mom’s Oliver B. Greene commentaries to which he often referred. He taught through Revelations several times with men’s Bible study and adult Sunday school as well as Daniel and Ezekiel and even a few other New Testament books. He would grab a Bible to continue his study at any break time with Bibles scattered about in trucks and at the greasy shop desk. He was privileged to travel to Costa Rica to see Ben graduate language school and later to visit the Good Shepard’s Ministry in Honduras as well as tour the Holy Land.

He was preceded in death by his parents, granddaughter, Katlyn Marie Orton, brothers-in-law Larry Nuss and Ray Netherton and nephew Gary Nuss.

He is survived by his wife and three children: Bobbi (TJ) Orton of Lorimar, Iowa; Ben Frusher, missionary to Honduras with BMDMI; Joey (Lacey) of rural Jetmore and granddaughters, Isla Jo Frusher and Samantha Grace Orton and siblings; Jo Ann Nuss and Betty (Victor) Eichman of Jetmore, Susan (Mike) Seybold of Stillwater, Oklahoma and Russell (Ronna) Frusher of rural Hanston.

Stories of Larry

Speak of taking him to Israel

Larry on a fifteen hour flight

Larry getting lost at Caesarea Philippi

Speak of Larry’s accident with a pole, like a telephone pole being slammed into his stomach two months before we went to Israel

much internal bleeding, surgeries, and blood transfusions two things have always stood out to me from that

first in the Christmas letter that Kathy sent out that year speaking of the accident, the surgeon said told Larry, “You are one tough bird.” Larry responded, “No, I have one tough God.”

second, Larry really thought that he was going to die that day, so on the flight down to Wichita, all he could think of to do was to tell the nurse on the flight, how to know Jesus and be saved

Song - Great is Thy Faithfulness

Message - Our Hope

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 CSB

13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

introduction

Christian Grieving

the loss of a loved one is painful, we should not run from that

but we do not grieve as those who have no hope

no hope of peace in death,

no hope of life with christ

no hope of reunion with our loved ones who are in Christ

that is a serious time of grief and heart ache

but for us, those of us who know Jesus Christ, we feel the pain and loss of Larry now, but with a joy and a hope of seeing Larry again in the presence of God

a life where there will be no more pain, no more tears or heart break

not because we have suffered enough, but because we will be with God as his people and He will be our God

Belief in the resurrected Jesus

Christ being raised means that Christ had to die

he died for your sins, for mine, and for Larry’s

Larry believed this passionately

enough to share the love of Christ with a nurse when Larry thought he was about to die

plenty of conversations with him where he was in awe that God would save such a sinner

those that have gone before us will be raised

Comfort in a reunion

this is not the end for Larry or us with him

death can feel so final

but we will all meet together

this is a great hope, not that we will see Jesus, but with one another

Comfort in being with our Lord

the great comfort is not just that we will see one another, but that we will see the Lord himself

the greek word (apantesis) is often used of an important dignitary’s reception bu the inhabitants of a city, who come out to greet and welcome their honored guest

this means when we meet again, and we see Christ, it will be a time of celebration and joy.

That is why, one a day like this, we can celebrate

celebrate that Larry has gone on to be with the Lord,

close with the thoughts of his daughter Bobbi from facebook

I am happy Dad no longer has pain.... No more need for hearing aids that didn't seem to work well, anyway, No more Parkinson's shuffling or shaking, No more knee pain and arthritis, No more struggling to remember a good story, No more pills, no more stooped back. But I have to wonder, when I see him again in heaven, will his eyebrows and sideburns be neatly trimmed or a little bushy like we were used to seeing?

PRAYER!

Congregational Song - Just a Closer Walk with Thee

Benediction

Numbers 6:24–26 CSB

24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you; 25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’