Well, good morning, everyone. Thank you for coming to this memorial. Service for Ed Rose. I know you all knew him and we're really grateful and of Laura, his sister, for you to come today.
I wanted to welcome you to the Wallatosa Bible Chapel, one of the elder pastors here, and I'd like to ask Fred Schwarzenegger, another elder pastor, come up with an opening prayer then.
Greeting to family and friends of Ed Rose from Wallatosta, Bible Chapel. And I.
Oh, I am honored to be able to. Open with prayer. I have a verse. This is from Kalashians 317 and it says and whatever you do in word or deed do all to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
The Lord Jesus Christ and whatever it did to me was always sort of more and word because we'd hear him.
His gentle voice coming through our Zoom channel that we have on on Wednesday nights and he would always pray so carefully.
For his family and his friends and so some great fond memories. Ed Rose. By the way, bless.
The Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you that we can. Give honor to God in and the father through Jesus Christ who came into this world to save sinners and we know we were all under the penalty of sin.
And only through the through the axe of the Lord Jesus dying for our sins on the cross of Calvary.
And rising again, our trust in Him, we have eternal life. We are so grateful to know that Ed Rose, Brother Ed Rose is enjoying the promises.
No.
Promise of life that is in Christ Jesus. In his presence today. We thank you for his deep faith we know like all of us says He's, he's, and struggles in life.
And, and in the end. Health matters and so we thank you for. For Lord Jesus for being there.
Near to him through these last, years. And bliss the family and The ones he continued to pray for is his sister here Lauren.
I remember him boys mentioning his nephew Santiago. And, some family in Kalamazoo and And Sophia?
Yes. And so we want to continue to pray for them. And and their lives is the Go on with out head rose in this planet with us.
Thank you for the colororship that Ed was able to enjoy through the Bible. With, the, in, in, and, over the years and what a great gathering of of friends that are here with him today.
We do thank you for. For our assembly that he could be connected to us. And so now we rejoice.
Did he safely home and we pray for our journey there as well and we give thanks to Lord Jesus in your name.
Amen.
Right. No. When we were at the study. Many times we would sing before we began and this is one of Ed's favorite songs victory in Jesus.
I'd invited turn up number 544 in the blue hymnals which are underneath your pews are in front of you.
Yeah.
I didn't invite Dan Keller to come up also. Yeah, 5 44 victory in Jesus.
Yes.
Thanks.
Good morning.
Just want to make note the the week before Ed went into glory I was visiting him. And during our visit, he spontaneously started.
Singing this him chorus and so it's very special to me And I was able to sing this with Ed and now we can sing.
Is it? Yes. It's like.
Today. It's a victory in Jesus.
I heard an old old story how a savior came from glory how he gave his life on cavalry to save a wretch like me I heard about his groaning of his precious bloods a toning Then I repented of my sins and won the victory.
Oh victory in Jesus, save your forever. He sought me and he bought me with his redeeming blood.
He loved me ere I knew him and all my love is to him He plunged me to victory Benneath a cleansing flood.
I heard about his healing of his cleansing power revealing How we made the lane to walk again And cause the blind to see And then I cried dear Jesus come and heal my broke in spirit And somehow Jesus came and brought to me the victory.
Oh victory in Jesus might save your forever He sought me and he bought me with his redeeming blood.
Love me air I knew him and all my love is to him he plunged me to victory Benneath the cleansing flood I heard about a mansion He has built for me me and heard about the streets of gold be on the crystal sea about the angel singing And the old redemption story And some sweet day I'll sing up there the song of victory Oh victory in Jesus I save your forever he sought me and he bought
me With his redeeming blood. He loved me air I knew him and all my love is to him He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.
It has true victory.
I've asked, a to give the eulogy. And I'd like to have her come up.
Now.
Hi everyone, thank you so much for being here for my brother. I'm very grateful to see.
So many faces of love and care and it gives me strength to talk. I'm not a very good speaker, so bear with me.
If you close your eyes and listen. You'll hear his deep calming voice. In song and conversation zoom calls are over his beloved ham radio evenings we all knew it so well His voice had a special resonance to it.
Wise, calming. Faithful and so reliable. He sang in church choir and sang around his apartment.
Or hummed in daringly when he was reading or just moving around in life. One of his many gifts.
My big brother, Edward Allen Rose, Junior, was born in Swartz Creek, Michigan, which in the early sixties was more of a small town than anything.
Just outside of Flint. As a kid, he raised the requisite litters of country kittens and ate many a stock of fresh garden rhubarb with a cup of sugar for dipping in one hand.
He also set a field on fire accidentally. Which I remember most from those years along with the tornado that came through the backyard of our little house.
Big cities have nothing on small towns for sure.
After a time we moved to the Upper Peninsula where our dad went to graduate school in Marquette, Michigan.
Those were some of the happiest years of Ed's life. He loved to build huge forts in the woods with the other kids who lived in our student housing complex at NMU.
He and I also had a running competition to see who could collect the most acorns from the Big Oak trees.
Sadly, that was put to a halt when my mother saw the avalanche of giant paper bags in our bedroom closets and that competition was considered a draw.
The S line train tracks ran close by the apartments and Edward put pennies on the tracks. And wait for the big locomotives to come lumbering by so he could flatten them on their way into the nearby yard.
Until an engineer told him that a locomotive would blow up if a penny got sucked up into the engine.
So that put an end to that. But it did like the fires of a lifelong love of trains for Ed.
Being kids next to Northern Michigan University was wonderful. There were always campus activities going on and space to have fun at the practice football field across the street.
I remember Ed flying a puffer kite so high that we couldn't even see it after a while.
He also built his own first remote control airplane, the beginnings of another lifelong love, aviation.
And flew it around. We played games of kick the can with all the kids we knew and he was a great save the day can kicker as he ran so fast.
It was a great place to be a kid. Thundering around all the time when not in school over the summer.
Are sitting on heater vents in the winter with blankets waiting for snow days, which almost never happened up in Marquette.
Our mother took us up to Sugar Love Mountain to pick wild blueberries. And after those regular snowstorms we would get out our snow shoes, the old ones that were about 4 feet long.
But gave you the magical ability to float over areas of deep untouched forest snow which Ed loved.
He said those were his favorite memories and I share with you that it's in Marquette. Where our family will scatter his ashes later this spring or summer.
Green Bay beckoned to our father after grad school. And we moved there during Ed's middle school junior high years.
He made new friends and started to get seriously involved with electronics and learning how things worked. I wouldn't see him for a few days after his popular mechanics magazine arrived.
He spent a great deal of time building things, taking things apart. Tinkering, tinkering with things.
And teaching himself how to fix everything as most of you know. He was such an intelligent person from a very young age.
Although when he took apart my dad's 1970, S. Harley Davis and engine, my father used a very different adjective to describe that particular achievement.
Let's see. He was fascinated by the earliest news of technology, which turned into yet another passionate hobby that was to be a part of his life until his last days.
Those green Bay years were also transitioned years to teenagers. The beginning of a difficult introspective.
And often rebellious period of his life. We moved again this time to Wallatosa, where after brief stints on his own in the southern US, he put down roots here that were to grow deep for the rest of his life.
Our parents divorced, which was extremely hard on both of us, but more so on Ed. It contributed greatly to him spending years searching to understand who he was as a person.
And what he wanted out of life. He got his GED and eventually his bachelor's degree from Concordia College.
Ham radio, also known as amateur radio, became a staple of his life. Farmer Ed, C sign N 9 EIO You may run a bell with some of us.
Spent many an evening participating with his radio friends and it had reached his life deeply. If you want to learn more, look around for his dear friend, Karen Buris.
Who will hook you up. Dad got his pilot's license and eventually bought his own plane, which brought him such incredible joy.
It always seemed like such a wonderful, full circle thing to me after those airplanes that he built in Marquette.
If you look for his YouTube channel, he still has videos posted of some of his flights around Timmerman in the Wisconsin area.
There used to be a spectacular one of him flying around the Chicago skyline when Meek's field was still right downtown.
But he felt after September eleventh that would probably be yanked off YouTube so he took it down anyway but the channel will remain.
So if you want to watch some of his videos and hear that beautiful voice. He does gardening videos.
He does trips around Tosa, a couple of trips to San Francisco. So I will never take that video channel down.
That was truly a gifted and knowledgeable gardener to say the least. So please enjoy those videos if you can.
Excuse me. Ed was also involved with the Civil Air Patrol for many years as well. And I'd like to take a moment to read a letter that I received from his civil air patrol friend, Paul De Courson, First Lieutenant.
That whole group meant so much to Ed.
Second Lieutenant Edward Rose, CAP ID, 6 0 1 5 2 6 was a member in good standing.
The tenth senior support squadron WI 0 8 6. Based at Milwaukee's Timmerman Airport.
He joined the squadron on July, the 20 fourth, 2,017. I received his application 2 weeks prior to July, 20 fourth when Ed HAN delivered it to me.
In my driveway on a beautiful summer day with aircraft flying overhead.
We talked for maybe an hour about his experiences in aviation, the fact that he had a private pilot's license and that he had owned his own aircraft.
At one time. He took time to look up and identify each aircraft flying over and whether or not he had ever flown that particular making model.
It was evident that Ed had a passion for aviation. And wanted to be a part of an organization that could help him keep that passion alive.
And that offered the purpose and camaraderie of an all volunteer aviation centric membership.
From that day forward, Ed remained engaged with the squadron. He was often the first to respond yes to meeting invites and was apologetic when he couldn't attend.
He often volunteered for the work details that are a part of keeping aircraft in a hanger in good condition.
He had a gentle, unassuming nature that indicated his professional and selfless approach to being part of a team.
We will miss and remember Second Lieutenant Edward A. Rose for being a dedicated member of our squadron in the aviation community at large.
We are saddened to know that he has passed. But we trust that he is soaring above us and continues to live his passion in clear blue skies.
First Lieutenant Paul De Courson. Thank you.
Our dad unexpectedly died of a heart attack back in 1,995 when he was 53 and it really brought N and I closer together as our mother had long ago detached from our family.
We've both done a lot of hard work to understand loss and the complexities of family. He was there when my husband Joe died and he was there when I gave birth to my children.
His niece and nephew, Sophia in Santiago, whom he loved quietly and so dearly.
He has been my best friend for as long as I can remember.
I'm grateful to God for the years of memories we've shared. Since losing him. I understand the truth that your siblings are your longest relationships.
They span your life. And are to be nurtured and absolutely treasured. I know when Ed found his faith and began that journey long ago, it opened up a world of support, friendship, and community that he has cherished for years.
That's why we are in this particular chapel today and why so many of you are here or watching.
You shared life's joys and life's troubles with him, and he with you. I'm great to everyone who loved him, spent time with him, helped him, and was there for him.
Especially in those last months of his life. Keep this very private man. As we all know and his relationships with people whom he trusted as friends were very deep.
It was never anyone, it was never anything but humble and his kind and authentic self. And tall, strong with those handsome Paul Newman blue eyes.
At his core that was grateful for his time here on earth. And he had the soul of a gardener, someone who tends and someone who nurtures.
He understood change and the beautiful seasons of nature and of life. There are lessons from God in each of them as to how to live, and he did.
He was ready to be with our Heavenly Father again. Knowing his time here was well spent and his pain would be left behind to disappear into the infinite mysteries of being a human being.
Whatever lovely memories he gifted you with, plant them. And let them grow into something meaningful. Heal relationships.
Breathe deep of the cool, clear air. Spend time together. And learn from solitude. Find your faith and embrace it.
It's what he would want. Sending you off with love, Ed. Laura.
Thank you so much.
Thank you, It's like to have Nate Appleton come up and read a verse from the Gospel of John.
Gospel of John, chapter 5. Reading from verse 24, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Most assuredly I say to you, He who hears My words and beliefs in him who sent me has everlasting life.
And shall not come into judgment. But has passed from death. Into life.
We have 4 friends of Ed that were really desirous of doing a a capella song and that song is what a friend we have in Jesus.
I'd invite you to listen and follow along.
Whoa, friend we have in Jesus Larsen's and.
We wish you can Everything to God in bread.
When he Oh Oh, because we do not care. Everything to God And we dry us and temptation.
Is that trouble anyway? We should never be discouraged. Take it to the morning prayer. Can we find her friends of faith?
I She's us does our every weakness Take it to the already pray. We waking happy Come with the word of care
Persons and you're still a red huge take into the morning prayer Do your friends despise my And is why I'm still taking You will find a
Thank you very much for that. I'm really appreciated. My name is Raji Anini.
I am one of the elder pastors here. Watch us the Bible Chapel. Welcome again. It's a real honor to do this message on behalf of Ed.
Like a lot of you, I knew had for about 20 years. And I'm glad that I knew him.
I first met Ed at her Friday night Bible study at a home I owned about 6 blocks from here and the first time I saw him It was in my kitchen, we would serve food after the study.
And Ed was a big guy, probably 6 months, maybe 2 20 at the time. And I remember I said hello and he reached out his hand for me to shake but before I could shake it he pulled it away and he went like this and I thought this is a guy I can get along with.
One of those old nineties gags, he, but I fell for it. You know, I was at, you know.
He would come to the study until about 10 and then he would be dressed in this blue Midwest Express uniform and he'd have to go to the airport.
To work on jet engines. He was a jet engine mechanic. And like Laura said, this guy could fix anything, aircraft engine, small engine props, cars, small engines, even work time helicopters for a while.
He was also pilot as Laura had mentioned. He had multiple certifications. I think when he stopped his pilot's license, pursuit of the license, different certifications, I think he was rated for multi-engine commercial prop jets.
So he could have earned a living doing that. That's how high up he was. And he was into all sorts of things.
As you mentioned, he operated a ham radio. He gardened. He biked a lot. He swam.
He fixed computers. He knew a lot about the latest technology, helped quite a few people in her study, but their computer problems.
Had a good way of explaining things very simply and such. That was that. You could do a lot of jobs too.
He deliver Chinese food for a place. On highway 100. Yeah. You know, it's a funny story with Ed, you know, he was like I said, he was a big guy.
One time he was delivering Chinese food and these 4 guys are going to rob him. And it took 4 guys to to do that.
It was so big. I was wrestling. I used to think, you know, why delivering Chinese food?
You gotta go through that. But that was that he loved to get out and work. He worked at the Y, he was a lifeguard.
He was a handyman. And that was that jack of all trades, masters some more than you might think, actually.
Ed also loved the Lord. He got saved sometime in the nineties and, He was always receptive to hearing about the Lord Jesus Savior.
His journey to being born again is very much like a lot of us, you know, even I can't go into too many details about his testimony was very moving.
You know, Ed felt. Maybe what a lot of us have felt on our journey becoming born again. There were seeds of dissatisfaction in his life.
There is this feeling as he explained me that there was something greater spiritually that was out there. He didn't know quite what it was.
You know, the Bible tells us that, there are 2 pieces of evidence that will lead us on our journey toward the Lord.
One is nature. Which of course he loved. And one is conscience. And following that evidence, the Bible says, will ultimately leave you.
To at some point hearing the gospel message of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is placing your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ for your salvation and Ed became born again to eternal life in the Lord Jesus when he by faith received the Lord Jesus into his heart as a seder.
About his appetite. This is, world renowned here. Over the years, that would attend the study in other events we planned, such as get together at Jim Jones's house.
He's here somewhere. For the fourth of July for Labor Day and such and so we'd have a big spread and.
Ed could put away food unlike any, but he could eat more chicken than a man has ever seen. He could eat hot dogs.
He and he could make food, but he also enjoyed food. We enjoyed watching him enjoy himself with food.
That was that was it. One great thing about it is he helped a lot of folks along his life's journey.
Even this week I heard about something that he had done for someone. It was always hearing afterwards, but he was handy.
He could just do everything. If you wanted to find a good, reliable used car, you talked to add.
You wanted to find a decent computer-used computer you talked at. He was just that way.
When Ed told us about his liver cancer cancer diagnosis maybe about a year and a half ago, we used to joke with that that he didn't even look like he had liver cancer.
The guy was still biking and all this energy. He was always doing things. He didn't even lose any weight.
And we had that kind of relation with and we could joke about him. You would tell us about all the treatments he was undergoing.
He even went through some experimental treatments for liver cancer, including where they would inject radioactive beads right into the liver and such he was a man who was interested in trying things and preserving his life as long as possible.
The thing about add is that it was only until the last 5 or 6 weeks that you actually saw this cancer advanced to the point where he looked like a cancer survivor.
But what the reason I bring this up is because he had incredible composure. During that time of his cancer.
Treatments and such. I've never seen anything like that. He would describe in detail what was happening.
He, He didn't hide the fact that he had cancer. And you know, if you think about technology and all that he knew.
You think about Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. Jobs is kind of a chubby guy and such and then he had the same type of cancer that Ed did but he hid it from people that would, Ed was not like that.
He didn't hide the fact that he had cancer. He would talk about it was a process of life.
And one of the most moving things I ever remember about his composure. Was that 1 point around the study was zoom at the time and he had received an MRI report.
And he, he, this is the only time I actually saw him buckle a little bit. He said, you know, I Read the first page in the second because I just couldn't continue because of all that was in there.
And, then he composed himself and he went went into the study and we continued going. He was just a remarkable guy.
We went to visit him toward the end in the prosperous unit and He was just himself. You know, we talked about eternity and about death.
We talked about all sorts of things. That was always open to talking about things in detail. That was him.
It was an open book. You know, the Bible says that just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, and so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people and thankfully Ed knew this.
It was Christ that made the painful aspects of cancer bearable for him. Why? Because he knew where he was going.
He knew where he was going. He knew that this was this life was not the end point. It was a door that opens up to eternally for him.
So the question is, do you know him today? Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ is your Savior?
That did. And If you know yourself as a sinner and you want relief from those sins, if you want The burden of sin rolled off your shoulders, you turn to the Lord Jesus Christ who has open arms, nail pierced open arms, ready to receive you.
The Lord took that out himself for us. SIN can destroy lives, but Jesus puts lives back together again.
Just as Ed could fix many mechanical things in a much greater way, Jesus is the master fixer. He created the world in everything in it.
He can fix broken and miss shape and souls. That's what he does. And you can fix your life too.
The thing that makes Jesus so fitted for us is that as a man he lived on this planet for 33 years.
He knew it was like to be submissive to parents or to do hard labor and to walk the streets and roads of this earth.
He knew what was like to be pushed around. To suffer for things he did not do and to cry out to God for help in overwhelming times.
Some 23 reminds us that the Lord is always with those who know Him. They are led in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
And they are promised that surely mercy and goodness shall follow them all the days of their life and they shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
It was not perfect. He had his struggles like all of us. You know, he could be forgiven by the one who saved him.
But Edward asked you today. If you see yourself as a center and if so like Ed, then you need Jesus.
That's what he would be saying. And the Bible says that all judgment has been placed in Jesus hands and one day we will meet him.
The question is, do you know him?
Because if you don't know him, you'll have to pay for your sins alone and no one has that kind of money.
In fact, the Bible asked this question, what benefits? You if you gain the whole world but lose your soul in the process.
Is anything worth more than your soul? Death has a way of focusing us on the important things in life.
Ed had many things, he had access to many things. But he was a practical man as he was.
Taking steps toward, you know, putting his life the end part of his life together, had given away his tools, he had talked to people, he had made plans, but he was celebrating the fact that he would be with his Lord Savior.
The Bible says absent from the body present with Lord just like that. We're celebrating Ed's absence from this world and assure presence with the Lord in heaven.
He will no longer. A suffer here or feel pain or anxiety or loss. What he sees now is Jesus in all his glory.
He is able to do that because of Jesus work on the cross on behalf of sinners. And the Bible tells us as we sang before, what a friend we have in Jesus.
You can know by placing your faith in Jesus, for the Bible says, for this is how God loved the world.
He gave his own his one and only begotten son that whoever believes in him. I shall not perish but have a everlasting life.
If you look on the order of service, we gave out. You'll remember the Bible verse that our brother Nate gave and to state it once again, I tell you the truth, this is Jesus saying this.
Those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me of eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death.
Into life. Is that wonderful? I discovered the death was not the final door for him. It was the door that let him into the presence of Christ Jesus.
That's why we have these flowers in this. Wonderful picture of him. We're celebrating.
Add today. Please think about these things today because the question remains. Do you know him? God bless you all.
Let's pray. Our father, we come before you in Jesus name. We're so grateful, Lord, for the time of remembrance, it's short.
But his memory lives on in her hearts. We could be thanks for each and every one that has come here today.
Bless us as we continue on our time together here. In Jesus name, Amen.
I have a time of sharing now. I've picked a couple of individuals. There could have been many more.
I'd like to ask Joe Chills to come up and see a few words. I bought a brother in.
I thought it'd be a little more. My name is Joe Shields, front of Eds.
And I met here at the chapel. Friday night. And I remember, he had a toothpick in his mouth and a pen on his collar.
Which, I learned with typical accessories that had always had on them. As people said, sister mentioned he had a lot of different interests.
Him and I would work on whatever car he had at time. As he would always find a good deal.
No sooner would we fix it up and get it running, right? Then he would sell it because You either found a good deal on some other cars and or he would sell it to have money to spend something like a ham radio equipment or computers.
And love to talk socialized on the ham radio. I am not a ham radio person, but I'm sure there are people out there that know and could recognize his low voice.
Coming across the airways but not even know what he looks like but recognize him by his just his voice.
And also like to with computers. I built 2 computers with Ed. He was always Changing processors or graphics cars or adding more memory to get a quick and more responsible computer that worked well.
Adlock aviation flying. He knew a lot of people at the local airports and he also worked at them.
As some of them as well. I recall him flying the plane out of Timmerman. That was number WF 1 4 2 or in aviation terms it was Whiskey Fox 1 7 2 I remember one excursion where we were flying.
And Ed requested a touch and go at Mitchell Field. His initial request was denied. Then he came back on the radio with his low voice.
And he was like, this is Whiskey Fox 1 72. Are you sure we can't do a touch and go?
This is whiskey box 1 7 2 requesting a touch and go please And then there was radio silence for it seemed like forever and then.
The tower came across and said, permission granted 1 7 2 and we're able to do a touch and go.
So. I know it's just things like that where Ed's voice just Sticks in your head.
And also like transportation with 2 wheels. It was partially because the add that I got a motorcycle and him and I would
Just ride out in the country and wherever. Just for a cruise. He also liked biking and we would mountain bike along the river here through White Park and Hart Park.
And as mentioned, he also liked working out at the Y, or at least. That's what he said he was doing.
I think there was a little there was probably a little bit of that but more so I think it was to socialize and talk.
Ed could strike up a conversation with pretty much anyone. And he enjoyed doing that, whether it was working out or on the ham radio or a church.
Or just out and about.
If there's something I'd really like, it was food. Whether it was working at a restaurant or eating at a restaurant.
He liked the food and he had a good appetite. And I'd have to say he always got his money's worth when we went to buffet.
There were a number of years where I would take him to prime quarter for his birthday. And part of the deal at prime quarter was, you had to eat a mammoth steak.
A big potato, Texas toast, a salad, and he had to do it in a certain amount of time.
Well, and polished it off and half the time. Then he had an extra potato. 2 more slices of toast, some dessert and then coffee on top of that.
So, for his efforts, he would get a metal. And with that metal you could either keep it or What we would do is we'd go in the next year and you could turn it in, you could do it all over again.
So that's what we would do. And he would try to beat his record from the previous year and eat it faster.
And I think he's part of the reason why prime quarter is probably no longer at that location.
He would sometimes come to the Men's Tuesday night study at my parents house and.
Sometimes we would come early for dinner. And the first time he came for dinner was a shock to my mom because, He loaded up his plate with food and then he grabbed this brand new jar of apple sauce.
And he proceeded to dump like 3 quarters of the jar on his plate and then put it back down.
And I was like, you sure you don't want any more? So what she was like, oh, maybe later I'll have some.
So when he was done cleaning his plate, he had asked my mom if she had any dessert and Hey Joyce, do you have any dessert?
Maybe some coffee? Which my mom wasn't ready for because yeah, he like. Just about everything that was there.
But after that point.
Choice has some dessert, coffee. At the ready for him. As I thought about, The interactions that I had with Ed.
Where there was at church or studies or out and about. I realize that no matter where we were. Or why we were there, the conversation was always sprinkled.
With things about the Lord. As we talked about our struggles and successes. You would come up repeatedly.
How much the Lord cares for us? How much the Lord free gives us in how much the Lord loves us.
I think the Lord for a friend like God. But love Jesus and love to talk about him.
Thank you, Joe. My curves.
Now. Some of this, my mouth to say, is basically a repeat of what Laura, you have said.
Ray and Joel. So pardon mind if they repeated something that's okay. My condolences, first of all, And I want to thank you all for being here.
I think I would really be pleased with all we showed up for and to honor him. So, yeah.
I actually give a pastors a lot of credit for doing this every week. To because it looks so simple to put on this but that the research that's involved in sermon it's really not that simple and easy to do what they do every week.
And pastor is So. Me and Add Rigo back a long way. 1996.
I came to the wall with Tulsa area. To live and I check checking out churches.
And I actually had another church earmarked for what it where I was going to go. But I thought, why don't I try, you know, Calvary now, Honey Creek Church, just, you know, there's, it was basically a formality for me to attend just to check 1 one time through the church.
And then I met Ed there and other nice people and it just felt like such a family there and it still does too by the way they're at Honey Creek so I just thought you know this is where God wants me to be at that church.
So yeah, but sometimes like as formality as, well, no, it doesn't always work out that way.
In this life, we have very few friends. I mean, you do have friends that are casual or Yeah, you're through church or work or whatever that you know you get along with and talk with and stuff
But, Ed was one of the best friends I call ever have in my life. We were great accountability partners to each other in so many ways.
You know, I've got 2 brothers and I'm taking this as bad as I lose one of my only brothers because he was a brother to me in so many ways.
We have like, Jonathan and David. The timing of God. If you get our daily bread, which we do at my church, and I think you do 2 here.
It's yesterday's was a deep friendship in Christ. February, the second, the timing of God how this would work out.
That's all you think. And I wasn't even, I was going to even mention this without even reading this about our Jonathan and David friendship.
So it didn't even take this booklet for me to bring this up. So, but, and he was, I just got dear friend in so many ways.
An accountability friend. We could just tell each other anything. I for him, him for me. Yeah, it's just, yeah, he was.
He was a blessing to me and so many ways in my life. On the computer. I am so inept on computer.
It ain't funny. You know, I didn't grow up with computers, but you know, but although his computer knowledge was self met, was self made.
I don't think he learned it so much as a, you know, in a school situation, but just on his own.
Yeah, the he did my taxes yearly for several years. Home maintenance that he did, you know, more in the lawns, plowing the snow in the winter.
He loved gardening. He had a green thumb on him as a. So, He paired it, repaired his own vehicles.
I mean, he would all drive all the vehicles. I'd do the same thing if I had that capability to drive older vehicles and fix on them myself if I could, but I didn't need me.
There's just many towns that you had. That a lot of people wouldn't have known anything about him swimming, a 10 speed biker as well, another aspect of him.
At first I was going to, You, the spiel about what I'm about to tell you, but the song victory in Jesus and what Joel said about, I'm gonna add this in with us, okay, which I thought I would, that, okay.
Every time like this, we think about the Easter story of Jesus. You know, dying for us on the cross and the Easter story of Jesus, you know, dying for us on the cross and we're had the brutal you had to take for us.
But there's also another sub stored within this as we all know about. That actually has brought me to tears at times and that is when he was at the cross with the 2 themes.
You know, now this is in second or this is in, Luke. In the end of loop about how one criminal said Aren't you the Messiah?
Save yourself and us, but the other criminals rebuked him. Don't you know don't you fear God?
He said once you are under the same you are under the same sentence. We are punished justly for we are what we are getting while you are these.
Then he said Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom and Jesus answered him. True, I tell you, you'll be with me in paradise.
You know, the criminal had a repenting heart. And you know, and I know that, yeah, as you said, about, in ads, repentant hard for his.
Life, you know, on the mistakes that he ever made, what we made in our lives too, that he had that repentance.
And Yeah, he even told me in so many words that he felt that his relationship with God was even closer because of his illness at the end.
And I believe that. How could anybody not who doesn't know the Lord? Would feel that way that you know.
You know, if in life, you know, we at the end of our lives, we think to ourselves, you know, did we ever make a difference in anybody's life?
He did for me. He made a big difference in my life in so many ways. You know, for, for the Christian, this isn't, we're not saying goodbye to Ed.
We're saying, see you later, Ed. That we will meet again at in heaven. I know we will.
And you' through this, I've gained an adoptive daughter sister and Laura because of this.
That you know we will always be in communication outlaw with each other. I just know. That, that we will.
Ed was a good guy and I, I will miss him dearly. But yeah, what a difference again he made in my life of knowing him.
Hey, Patty Scheller, they would like to come up.
Ed and I were friends for over 20 years. And we've had many times the laughter, fun and joy.
There. There was a time. That.
4 of us went out to 31 flavors and it was like a kid in a candy store and We just laughed and giggled and we had someone take a picture of us and.
It, L and Hope and Ed and I were there and it was separate from going to the chapel.
Just it was getting to know one another and We, he and I. There was one time my car broke down and he came all the way from A to Waukesha.
And took me to the bank because I had to go to the bank and he just he was so willing to just give up everything and go to wherever anybody needed help.
There's a man about 2 years prior to his. Death that was his wife had died and Ed.
So willingly helped him and he would do that. He would just take the shirt off of its back to help anybody.
And. I had many dinners at my house and one particular dinner. He said, Harry, we're gonna go to a Christian.
Sing a long and I said, oh, okay. And, we ended up going to the amphitheater down in Milwaukee and there is several different singers there and Danny Goki, that was the first time I I heard him through American Idol, but that was the first time being at a concert where he was singing and I said, oh, this is kind of rocky roadish and you
know, and. But he, he really, he loved music and, He I loved hearing his toner voice at the chapel here.
I heard it and the one thing that when I think about music I think that when I think about music I think that each of us is a musical note and someday we're going to think about music, I think that each of us is a musical note and some day we're going to play beautifully for our Lord and Savior.
And one of the songs that, I hummed. Right now, to kind of heal my heart.
Is by Michael W. Smith and it says Friends and friends forever and a friend will not say never and it's hard to let you go in the father's hands we know.
And a lifetime's not too long to live as friends. And I hum that throughout the day. Thinking about him.
And. There's just so many, so many things that. He did and we did together and I, I shouldn't.
Forget to say that, Susan gave him his first Bible and He, he used the Bible throughout his life and, and help him grow and mature into the man he would become.
And I thank you for listening.
One final voice we'd like to hear and that is Margo Valerie. She is not able to be here today because of some physical issues that she has, but I wrote down.
She dictated what she wanted to say to me. So, Margo Valerie says this. I first met edit the WAVLTUS survival Friday night study that was very unique and special creation of the Almighty God.
I was drawn to him immediately upon Our first meeting by a smile, his warmth and inviting personality and his ability.
To want to be conversant with everyone. I would like to share a few examples of the fund and memorable times with that.
The first one is a Friday night study time where he and Jim Jones, and I were sitting together and Ed made one of his funny faces.
I call it the squirrel face. And it was a serious moment when Ray was teaching, but Ed had a rubber face and I took one look and started to laugh and not because he was He wasn't laughing at his being funny, but it just became infectious and we were all laughing.
Then Ray asked why we were laugh. And I thought it was all Ed's fault. Jim then blew out a huge laughing sigh.
That was unheard of for him. In keeping with memories that the Bible study people would bring all, all bring snacks.
We never had to worry about leftovers because Ed was their appetite and all. I just ring my son Ben to the study was 12 and it was really good with kids.
My son really enjoyed talking with that about many things including the study. And from there, Ed and I became friends on a more personal level, including coming over to my house for times of hanging out.
It was extremely gifted and talented in so many ways, including when I had an emergency with a burst pipe and it came over immediately to help find the shut off valve.
The pipes sprayed and froze into an ice igloo and he came over dropped everything to help me finding the shut off valve.
And we were very grateful to him. Another time, Ed kind of came up with a brilliant plumbing solution that that was created efficiently and saved me a lot of money.
The solution was so creative. And not because we saw it in a do it yourself video, it was all ed.
And I cooked together and he was a great gardener. Finally, Ed was a great testimony to us all from the time of his diagnosis for liver cancer to his final Friday night study with us.
He endured much discomfort with a very determined spirit. Being a cancer survivor myself, he impressed me with his faith in the Lord and also his tenacity to live a quality life and enjoy God's creation.
Despite the diagnosis. The very end. There are so many other recollections from a 12 year friendship that would take up pages and pages.
In closing, I wanted to say I will miss that greatly on this earthly realm, but I know I will see him again in eternity and I know he will be smiling and singing.
Hymns to our Lord. My deepest sympathies to his family and especially Laura. Who travelled such a long way to be with her brother, had talked about her so much and loved their close relationship.
She was such a comfort to him.
Well, in closing, we just like to sing a song called In Christ Alone, hymn book number one, if you would.
Before we do that, I just wanted to mention we have lunch downstairs. We have 2 exits here that will bring you down.
Also, I wanted to just mention if you have a donation, you could make it to the Wild Toast of Bible Chapel or the Arbor Day Foundation.
He was a longtime supporter and. Sport of their efforts to plant trees which dearly was loved by Ed.
In Christ alone, number one.
The
In Christ alone my hope is found He is my light, my strength, my song, this cornerstone This solid ground Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are still when striving cease my comforter I all in all Here in the love of Christ I stand Christ alone Who took on flesh fullness of God in helpless pain?
This gift of love and righteousness Scorned by the ones he came to save Till on that cross as Jesus died A wrath of God was satisfied.
Or every sin on him was laid Here in the death of Christ I live. There in the ground his body lay.
Light of the world by Darkness Lane, then bursting forth glorious day from the grave he rose again And as he stands in victory Since curse has lost its grip on me For I am his and he is mine But with the precious blood of Nice.
Guilt in life No fear in death. This is the part Our rough Christ in me from life's first cry to final breath Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no seems of man can ever me from his hand till he returns or calls me home Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.
Let's close in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you. That our brother Ed is home safe with you Lord Jesus and you are his Savior.
The one who saved him. Trusted in you as his Lord and Savior, the one who died for his sins and rose again and And we know that this is not the end for Ed.
He is face to face with you Lord Jesus and someday. His body will rise again because your word says because you live we also will live and He had found his hope and his strength in you, Lord, Jesus, and We just thank you.
For the gift of letting us all know him while he was here, the encouragement that he was to all of us.
I was very touched by how he would pray for others even in the midst of his trial. He prayed for me and my family.
Lord, I just thank you that he's home now with you and you're taking care of him and we pray for Laura for all his friends and family that are grieving and we We just pray you bless our time downstairs now and Jesus name.
We thank you. For the time of fellowship that we'll share. In memory of Ed. And it's in your name Lord Jesus that we pray.
Amen