On April 7th, 2012, the Lord took Dad to be with Him in glory...
God saw you getting tired
and a cure was not to be
so he put his arms around you
and whispered,
"Come to Me"
and a cure was not to be
so he put his arms around you
and whispered,
"Come to Me"
With tearful eyes we watched you
and saw you pass away
and although we love you dearly
we could not make you stay.
and saw you pass away
and although we love you dearly
we could not make you stay.
A Golden heart stopped beating
hard working hands at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best.
hard working hands at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best.
As
many of you know, my father became suddenly ill last week Thursday night (March 29, 2012) and
it now appears he had suffered some strokes. He was cared for in hospital but
we saw him decline and then rally again somewhat, so that after being there for
almost a week and observing some hopeful signs of recognition, we decided to
return home. Chris had come home on Tuesday already because it was so hard to
tell how long he could live yet. On Wednesday afternoon Adam and Annie, Marty
and Jess (with little Jonah) said their good byes to him, and he did respond in
recognition, also when Marty read the Bible and prayed and spoke to him, he
seemed to want to say something. Wednesday evening Andrew (our son from Ontario) came from Calgary, where he had been working for 3 days. Providentially
he was able to get a ride with his cousin Caroline, so he was able to sit at
Opa’s bedside and observe him, and say goodbye. Thursday morning I brought him
back to the hospital at 6 am so he could have a few more moments with Opa, and
then he returned to Calgary with his cousin again. I stayed there at his
bedside and couldn’t bring myself to leave the entire day except to go down to
the cafeteria for coffee or something to eat. He had been more awake for longer
periods and he had longer moments where we knew he was recognizing us, so it
was good to just sit with him. All the other brothers and sisters came and went
as we had been keeping a 24 vigil at his bedside in 2 hour shifts, but it was
starting to become routine to leave and expect to see him the next time… He was
soundly sleeping during the evening but I knew the nurses would be coming in to
reposition him as they had been doing every 2 hours or so. They came in at 10
pm and he did wake up. Three of my brothers were with me, and Wim said to my
dad: “Judy wants to say goodbye because she’s going home to Chilliwack
tomorrow.” He was looking directly at us, and then at me and he puckered his
lips like he wanted a kiss… I kissed him and said goodbye… and thanked him for
all his love, his prayers and guidance and told him I would miss his phone
chats and letters… he was emotional too, though he had a hard time but we could
tell by the way his lips quivered and his Adam’s apple was moving… after I
left, he fell asleep and that was the last time that he showed any response or
recognition to anybody. This morning my sister Jannie (from Holland) and my
oldest niece, Meta, were with him and they noticed his color change, they
called the nurse, and then he was gone already. He peacefully fell asleep… to
wake up in eternal glory!
We
have lost a praying father, and a Godly patriarch to our large family circle.
It has been a wonderful week in the sense that so many of the grandchildren
spoke of the place Opa had in their hearts and lives, and the saintly influence
they will always appreciate having in their lives. Our loss will be his gain.
We mourn but not as those without hope… “Blessed are the dead which die in the
Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their
labours; and their works do follow them.” (an email I sent to several friends...)
We experienced peace and loving fellowship throughout the preparation for the funeral and burial. Of the 76 grandchildren, all but 9 were able to be at the funeral and at the reception that followed. Opa would have been so pleased to see the large gathering of his children and grandchildren together. The funeral service was done by Rev. Sonnevelt, who loved Dad dearly and he shared in many touching ways what he knew Opa would have wanted to say to them. God was with us as we celebrated the legacy of our Dad, who was a sinner saved by grace! The funeral service can be heard here:
We experienced peace and loving fellowship throughout the preparation for the funeral and burial. Of the 76 grandchildren, all but 9 were able to be at the funeral and at the reception that followed. Opa would have been so pleased to see the large gathering of his children and grandchildren together. The funeral service was done by Rev. Sonnevelt, who loved Dad dearly and he shared in many touching ways what he knew Opa would have wanted to say to them. God was with us as we celebrated the legacy of our Dad, who was a sinner saved by grace! The funeral service can be heard here:
"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green!" Psalm 92:12-14
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