Louise Peterson - 6/25/21

We gather to remember, celebrate, and give thanks to the Lord for the life of Louise Peterson. You gather (here and online) as those who meant the most to Louise; the people who were impacted by her life and her example.

Our comfort today is drawn from the teaching of the Bible. In 2 Corinthians 5 we read,

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.

We stand here confident of life beyond the grave for those who put their trust in Christ.

Let's pray together,

Father, we stand before you with a certain measure of numbness because no matter how “ready” we are for someone to die, we are never really ready. Such is the case with Louise.

Grant us your comfort as we celebrate her life, mourn her death, and grab hold of the confidence that is our through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Louise Ann Peterson was born September 15, 1937 and died Jun 20, 2021.

She graduated from high school in 1955 where she played clarinet in the band and was a co-valedictorian. She went on to attend the University her future husband George Peterson. The two of them fell in love and were married. They were blessed by the birth of three boys.

George was an officer in the Air Force so he and Louise moved many times. They lived in Turkey, England, St. Louis, and Washington DC, but primarily lived in Hampton, VA and in O’Fallon and Swansea, Illinois.

It appears she loved to travel. Early in her marriage, she toured the Middle East and Europe with her husband, then Hawaii, Alaska, California, and Washington, later in life.

She also enjoyed the piano, sewing, square dancing, bowling and Reader’s Theater.

Although she never had a paying job, Louise was always working. She raised three boys and was an active volunteer for Faith Lutheran Church, the Cub Scouts, PTA, and the Grange.

She seems to have had a pretty good sense of humor. When Phil was a kid in the late 60's, before cell phones and video games, He played a lot of kickball with the neighborhood kids in the summer. The Peterson yard had three maple trees that made a perfect first, second, and third base and with no other trees in the way, so, the games were often played in the Peterson’s yard. When they started to wear a path in the yard, Louise put up a sign that said: Please stay off the grass for 2 weeks. - The Establishment

Glenn sent me his memories and I share them as written.

My beloved mother was a shining example of kindness & compassion throughout her life. Louise’s love and nurturing anchored her family, raised the spirits of friends & acquaintances and encouraged others to act likewise. Her benevolence was not limited to her family and community, as she also loved and cared for animals and nature.

My childhood was filled with cheer and the knowledge of parental love. Mom was a source of happiness. She strongly influenced my behavior and interests in life, encouraged my achievements and gave me solace during sadness. I couldn’t have had a more loving, supportive parent.

Some of the fondest, enduring memories from my early years (and the rest of my life) were nature-based. We camped, played and respected the outdoors. I remember being enthralled by the beauty of nature when I saw my first purple, thistle flower on a family camping trip. Climbing on rocks, swinging on vines and exploring were encouraged. I remember finding a giant beetle on an early camping trip. Mom taught me that interaction with nature was based on respect for bugs, birds and plants. Enjoying nature & wildlife meant caring for the well-being of all God’s creation (catch and release, in this bug’s case). It is a lesson ingrained in me today. We had many family pets and I learned to love and care for the lives of animals, while enjoying the unique comforts of purring kittens, squeaking hamsters and scampering hermit crabs (my first personal pet).

As I grew up, my mother was the root of my learning and development at home, and volunteered with many school and extracurricular activities. Louise served as a PTA president bringing enrichment to the lives of students and a stronger bond between teachers and families. I remember the PTA Halloween carnivals with great fondness. The games, treats and candy were highly anticipated every year. She was President of the Hope Lutheran Church council in Hampton. The foundation of my faith was there. Mom was active in Scouting for many years. My years in Scouting were a highlight of my young life. My participation and inspiration were another key factor of my life enabled by her. At first, it was sewing all of my Scout uniform patches, precise and neat. Eventually, her inspiration led to my receipt of the Eagle Scout honor. Later, she served in Cub Packs and District-level leadership positions. She continued a life of giving & volunteerism that extended beyond our family and brought compassion to her community & beyond (Scouting, Meals-on-Wheels, Fox Theater usher volunteer, Reader’s Theater, Illinois State Grange, Lutheran World Relief quilting/ donations). She continuously improved the lives of others during her life.

Many of my other fond childhood memories revolved around my mother. She was an avid baker. As kids, my brothers and I enjoyed many batches of homemade cookies. My favorites were Snickerdoodles. Every year, we enjoyed homemade birthday cakes. I’ve never had better Angel-food cakes than the ones that she baked. She was also a great handicraft enthusiast. There were crafts that she taught in Scouting, decor for the home and gifts for family and friends. She sewed and knitted much of my grade school clothing. One of my favorites of her crafting was the annual Christmas tree ornaments. These now provide an enduring memory during the holidays. I have a cloth/felt Santa that is 50 years old. I remember that this was a project that she orchestrated as a room-mother for my 4th grade classroom holiday party. Louise loved music and brought it into my life. She played piano and sang. As a kid, I remember being serenaded by her singing at bedtime and when I needed extra comfort (death of first pet hamster). I recall the ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’, ‘John Jacob Jingle Heimerschmidt’ and my favorite, ‘You are my Sunshine’. My mother brought the sunshine, the love, the warmth, the hope, the compassion & the optimism that fuels me today.

Finally, Louise was not only a great mom, but a loving, devoted grandmother. She and my father were frequent visitors, even though my wife and I had chosen to settle on the other side of the country. During these visits, grandma spent a lot of time with the kids playing, crafting and spreading the sense of contentment in life that she had instilled in me.

Thanks MOM!! You will be missed, but your love & endeavors are forever.

– Glenn Peterson

Louise is survived by her husband, three sons; ten grandchildren and her brother.

___

Since Louise was active in the Lutheran Church all of her life, it seems fitting here to look at one of the key insights of Martin Luther. Luther was reading the Book of Romans when he came to Romans 1:17 “The righteous will live by faith.”

That verse hit Luther like a lightning bolt. All his life he tried to live up to the standard of the Bible. He spent hours daily in the confessional booth seeking to confess all his sin. He was driven by the hope that he could do what was necessary to obtain salvation. He was tormented by the fear that there might be a sin he didn’t see or neglected to confess. The priests in charge of the confessional used to dread seeing Luther coming because they knew they were going to be there for awhile.

Martin Luther was not unlike many today who hope they have been “good enough” to gain eternal life. They hope they have “beat the curve” (there is no curve!). They look around and feel they have done fairly well compared to most people (but of course God does not compare us to most people but to the perfect standards of God’s Law). As a result, like Luther, we have no sense of assurance of our salvation.

However, when Luther read Romans 1:17 it was as if a light had gone on. He realized that we are not saved from God’s judgment by our deeds; we are saved by our faith in Christ.

As Luther continued reading, the pieces all came together. We are saved not because we are good, but because JESUS lived a perfect life, and He traded His life for us. We are made right with God because we embrace the One who died for us. As wonderful a woman as it appears Louise Peterson was, she is not with the Lord today because she was a good woman . . . she resides with the Lord today because of her faith in Christ.

Some people stumble at the idea of one man dying to pay for the sin of so many over all these centuries. But how can one life be traded for millions of lives, including our own?

Let me give you an illustration from another area of life that I hope will help you see what the message of the gospel is.

If you talked to a Secret Service agent and asked him how many of the agents would give their lives to protect the President (even if they didn’t like him personally) they would answer, “We all would.” The same would be true of the military, Why would thousands of lives be traded to protect just this one life? It is not because of the individual. It is because of the office he holds. Because he is the President, his life, and his office, makes him more valuable than all the others.

Now turn this around. If you were holding a group of people hostage, how many of them would you trade for the President? If you were smart, you would trade them all.

So, how many lives would be traded for the very Son of God? As the Son of God the death of Jesus is traded for the millions and millions of those who have put their faith and trust in Him. Jesus secured our salvation when He died in our place on the cross. He also showed that this salvation is not merely wishful thinking. He proved it was genuine and would last forever when He rose from the dead.

The evidence for the resurrection is compelling if you are willing to examine it objectively.

When Luther came to understand this, He became a different man. He was no longer tormented, but set free; He no longer lived in fear but lived with a boldness that began the Reformation. At the end of his life Martin Luther no longer wondered about Heaven because He knew His faith was completely resting in the work of Jesus on the cross and not with his own efforts at goodness.

I don’t know whether Louise was confident of her eternal home. I hope so. But confident or not . . . if she placed her trust in Christ (which it sounds like she had), you have no need to fear for her today. She is home with the Lord she served throughout her life. The sacrifice of Christ has purchased eternal life for her.

The Bible talks about Heaven as the place where, if you could see it ahead of time, you would do anything to be part of it. It is a place of restored minds and bodies, a place without tears or sadness, a place of inexpressible beauty, joy, and reunion.

It is still hard on this side of death. Someone you love has gone on before you. But Louise has lost nothing! She has gained everything She is not sorrowful over the separation from those she loves because a) she is with many she has loved who have gone on before her in faith. b) she knows the separation will be for a short time. C) She is with the Lord she served all of her life.

A picture came to my mind at a funeral several years ago. Imagine a group of young people playing down by a beautiful creek. The water is pure and the refreshment from it is staggering. They can’t help but get in the water and enjoy the rich opportunity to swim in the creek. And they are having a great time.

As you approach you hear the laughing and the screams of delight. You see a big pile of clothes. You don’t stop to reflect on the clothes, you push on toward the joy-filled creek.

I draw that picture because what is here in this box is merely the clothes of Louise Peterson. She has gone on to enjoy the new life that has come to her through her faith in Christ.

As we stand here it is our job to

1. Give thanks for her life and the impact it had on each of you.

2. Reflect on what she taught you and build on it. It is time to give thanks for her example of service, her love of nature, and her sheer enjoyment of the various things and people that make up life. Think of life as a relay race. Louise has run her leg of the race, now it is your turn to take the baton and run as fast and as well as you can, until it is time for you to hand it off to one you love.

3. Embrace the faith she had. It is tempting for all of us to “hope we are good enough” for Heaven. We will never be good enough for Heaven because of our deeds. We are made right with God by trusting and following Jesus as the Lord and Master of our lives. And if you have never done so, this would be a good day to begin. Now is the time to stop looking over our shoulder in fear we have neglected something, and focus straight ahead and savor every moment of the journey and of God’s grace that makes it all possible. Just like it sounds like Louise did.

We now commit to God the body and life of Louise Peterson. And we do so in the confident belief that God will clothe her with a new body and lead her to the new life that is hers through Christ alone. And don’t be surprised if she meets you at the door to Heaven with some snickerdoodle cookies, angel food cake and a giant smile as she offers to show you around the place we’ve always longed to be.

Let's pray,

Father, we have been blessed by you through the life of Louise Peterson and we thank you. Thank you for Louise'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 Louise 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.