Volume 47   Number 8                                                                       April 2005

Mary Elizabeth “Sue” Woody, 77, of the California Acres congregation in Topeka, KS, fell asleep in Jesus on March 2nd. She had been struggling the last years of her life with Alzheimer’s disease, but maintained much of her grace and sense of humor to the end. She is missed for sure, and cannot be replaced.

My father, John Alfred Woody, says that the day he got mother to marry him was the greatest triumph of his life. I am thankful that they did tie the knot, and grateful for the love they showed each other over the years through thick and thin. Dad’s example of caring for mother in her times of weakness is one of life’s greatest blessings.

Mother raised five children; my brothers, Henry & Glen, and my sisters, Kyra (Pehrson), and Kimber (Wright). Glen & Kyra were twins with a combined birth weight of over 15 pounds. The rest of us were not featherweights either, but Mom never thought we were heavy for the love she had for each of us. She built for all five of her children a happy home!

Many of our readers knew my mother. She was truly one of the most interesting people you could ever meet. When you had a conversation with my mother it was edifying, informative, and always entertaining. Many times her words of wisdom were just what the doctor ordered, and she was a sage to all of her children, both physical and spiritual. Her greatest gift to all of us was her faith in Christ.

Mother has always been a source of encouragement by having faith in me and expecting the best. She was the one who strongly encouraged me to take the responsibility of this paper when I was contemplating the big step, wondering if I was sufficient for the task. Encouragement like that is priceless, and Mom made a lot of us rich!

One of the reasons I wrote this is to fulfill the words of Proverbs 31 where the children of the virtuous woman “rise up and call her blessed.” I will always recall with deep regret the time that foolish young child (who was me) acted ashamed when his mother came to his classroom. It wasn’t joyful to be corrected for my mistake later, but it was good incentive to make sure I never dishonored my mother again. Honoring your parents is one of the marks of true wisdom, in addition to being the first commandment with promise. To my mother I will always say in my heart, “Thanks for having us.”

I had always wondered how much it would hurt to lose someone as close to me as my mother. Once again, the Lord has proven Himself faithful by providing more than enough comfort & consolation to not only come through the loss of a loved one, but to be better as a result.

One of the greatest comforts to me and my family has been provided through the Body of Christ, His hands here on earth. As others who have been in this position know well, it is very humbling to experience an outpouring of sympathy and kindness like this. I would like to thank all of you who have comforted us at this time. Thanks for all the cards, emails, phone calls, and prayers on our behalf. These have sustained us so well, along with the fond memories we have of a mother who truly loved and cared for each one of her five children. ~ TWW