Louie Pyle Funeral

Good morning. On behalf of all the family, thank you for being here today to celebrate the beautiful life and legacy of Louie Pyle. A man who lived life to the fullest even in the midst of hardship. A kind man who leaves us with a lasting legacy of love and perserverance. Today as we remember and we grieve, but we do not grieve without hope we think of this picture of heaven that is painted in revelation....

Rev

The New International Version Chapter 21

Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ u or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

Pray

Listen to this song

Now some of Louies family wanted to share something things about Louie, first up, Louies cousin Jackie.

Invite the girls up to read their letters to their dad

Listen to this song

Read Jennifers letter

Listen to this song

James M. “Louie” Pyle, of Kokomo, passed away at 11:55 a.m. Wednesday, December 8, 2021, he was 38 years old.

Louie was born February 28, 1983, in Kokomo to his parents Jerry and Kim.

To Louie family was everything he loved his parents and his siblings and his whole extended family. Louie especially was a Momma’s boy, he hand Kim had a special bond.

Louie love people in general, he never knew a stranger and loved to have one on one conversations with people.

Growing up and going into adulthood, Louie loved sports. He loved to play them and watch them. His two favorite being baseball and football.

In 2001 Louie graduated from Taylor High school. Louie worked as a laborer for the Laborers Union. Louie was a hardworking man who never was one to complain.

Louie and Jennifer first met in high school, Jennifer says she still remembers the first time she met him was at a burger king, she remembers him wearing a camo bucket hat that he kept forever.

The two of them dated for about 1 year but the story goes that Louie got a little scared by Jennifers dad Chuck. Apparently when Chuck came home and found the two of them sitting together on the couch, Chuck let Louie know about all the guns on the wall and how we knew how to use them all.

It would be about 11 years between that moment and when the two of them would reconnect thanks to their friends Kent and Brandy. The first time they connected again, Louie called one of his friends and told him that he was going to marry her and he sure enough did.

Jennifer put it well when she said that it takes a special man to choose to marry a woman with 3 kids 5 and under but thats is exactly what Louie did. 6 months after reconnecting they were married on March 1, 2007. Together they built a beautiful life.

Jennifer said nobody could drive her as crazy or love her so deeply like Louie could. Nobody could make her laugh like Louie did.

As has already been said, he love his children Tyler, Abigail, Maci, and Jhonna. He loved to be around his kids.

Louie fought hard to get Tyler, Abigail, and Macy adopted, he never treated or thought about them like they were anything other than his own. When they were going through the adoption processes, Macy as asked about how she felt about Louie becoming her dad and she said, I thought he already was. And Tyler said, what took so long Dad. They loved him and He loved them.

He loved to support them and be there for them. He especially loved to coach the girls softball teams, he was especially passionate about that, although he was known to get a bit too passionate sometimes and be thrown out of the games.

Louie was an avid Cubs, Pacers, and IU fan. When it came to college basketball they were a house divided between Duke and Hoosiers. This always made the college basketball season more fun!

Louie loved to spend time with family and friends watching sports and playing cards. He loved bonfires.

Louie loved to camp, fish, and be in the outdoors. The family enjoyed making memories camping, even if things didn’t always go as planned like when the boat they had on the Wabash didn’t have a plug in it and it was sinking, Jennifer said she watched as Louie sure enough swam it out and saved the boat. Life was never dull with him.

Louie had lots of friends but his uncle Curt and his cousin sean were his best friends. They meant so much to him.

Louie was a generous guy who would be there if you needed him and would give you the shirt off his back.

Louie had a difficult year and a half battle with cancer, it was painful and he and his family endured a lot, but he never complained or felt sorry for himself. Instead he showed the strength that God gave him by face things with everything he had.

In the midst of this difficult season, Louie was drawn closer to the lord. While he was always curious about God and faith, and believed in him, it was over the last year that he really began to know Jesus as his savior and his source of ultimate strength and peace.

His brother-in-law Wade was instrumental in Louies faith journey. It was he and Laura who bought him a bible that he began to read and grow with.

It was because of the faith journey and commitment to Jesus that Louie was not afraid of death, he actually began to dream about heaven in vivid and beautiful ways.

You see while Louies fight with cancer did not end as we would have wanted, he lived out these words of ‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭4:7-8‬

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Part of today is allowing ourselves to be honest with God about grief, frustrations, and even anger. the really great news is that He is not afraid of the feelings we have. In fact in the midst of our pain He gives us the gift of His presence and understanding.

PSalm

The New International Version Psalm 34

18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Matthew

The New International Version Chapter 5

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭

I believe that with my whole heart. That will grief will be a journey. One we wouldn't choose and will not like, we can take comfort in the fact that you don’t face it alone. We have a Refuge in God, ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46:1-3, 10‬ ‭

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Interlude “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”

Philippians

The New International Version Chapter 4

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The New International Version Chapter 14

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

I believe that is one of the greatest desires God has for you today, that you would find peace. That you would find peace in this world and that you would be with Him in the next.

But today we do not want to grieve without hope. Paul said these

Romans

The New International Version Chapter 8

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God’s love will always be chasing us and there for us. Every single one of us.

John

The New International Version Chapter 14

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

John‬ ‭14:1-3‬ ‭,6

Again this is for all people. This is a generous love. And its a love that casts out all fear.

John 3:16-17

The New International Version Chapter 3

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Again Jesus came into this world to save you and me, So we could have a better present and an ultimate future with Him, like Louis.

God desires that all his children would come home....that they would trust in him

John

The New International Version Chapter 11

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

No matter who you are and where you come from you are invited to experience this new life in Jesus.

“Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭16:22‬ ‭

Today I take comfort and have joy thinking about how Louie is in heaven…he has been made new…free of pain, suffering, and worry. The invitation is for all of us to surrender to Jesus so that like Louie, we too may one day exprience joy everlasting with Jesus for eternity.

read the poem

Friends, Louie is whole once more. And he is at rest with Jesus.

Louie Pyle, well done good and faithful servant.

Listen to this song

Grave side

The Book of Common Prayer, 1979 The Burial of the Dead: Rite Two

I am Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord.

Whoever has faith in me shall have life,

even though he die.

And everyone who has life,

and has committed himself to me in faith,

shall not die for ever.

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives

and that at the last he will stand upon the earth.

After my awaking, he will raise me up;

and in my body I shall see God.

I myself shall see, and my eyes behold him

who is my friend and not a stranger.

For none of us has life in himself,

and none becomes his own master when he dies.

For if we have life, we are alive in the Lord,

and if we die, we die in the Lord.

So, then, whether we live or die,

we are the Lord’s possession.

Happy from now on

are those who die in the Lord!

So it is, says the Spirit,

for they rest from their labors.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside cquiet waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He guides me in the cpaths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

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

I 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 have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will bdwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Pray