Funeral Notes

The Casket The whole family
Mom and The Girls
Dad and The Girls

The Grandchildren/The Cousins

Anne and I arrived back in Austin late Friday night and spent the night at her house in Austin. The weekend was quite remarkable. We had a really great time together as a family, celebrating Grandmartha's life and contributions. We all kept commenting that she would have loved how much fun we were having and she would have been so pleased that we were all together and enjoying one another's company. All in all, it was a rally great time, believe it or not.

This is what I said at the funeral. Each of the four grandchildren spoke and somewhow, without planning it, we each managed to address a slightly different aspect of who Grandmartha was. I think we did a pretty good job.

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My mother says that people live on in our memories of them. I have many fond memories of my Grandmother. As a child, whenever we visited she made sure that we had great food to eat and fun activities in which to participate. She made us treats, arranged outings and play dates for us, she taught me how to paint my fingernails and toe nails... I could go on.

As an adult, however, I remember her for different things. I remember her now as a woman of faith who loved her family and her church deeply. She was a woman who honestly, sincerely and tirelessly sought the truth and did her best to abide by her understanding.

In her faith, she did not pray for her life to be made easier. She prayed instead for us. She prayed that she might understand what troubled us. She prayed that she might help us. She prayed that she might be made useful.

I looked up the word useful in the dictionary this morning. It means valuable, beneficial, serviceable and helpful. I know that each one of us- whether we knew March Cheek as a grandparent, a parent, a Sunday school teacher, a friend or a fellow citizen of Lavonia, would agree that through her life and her actions, her deepest prayer- to be made useful- was answered.

Whatever your memories of Martha Cheek are- from Sunday school lessons to pecan pie- I hope that your memories keep her alive as a woman that God used to help, to encourage and to serve others.