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In Loving Memory of Geraldine G. Hemphill BORN: SEPTEMBER 16, 1943, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA DIED: OCTOBER 2, 2008, IN HER COLORADO HOME

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Page 1: Geraldine G. Hemphill - Laughing Pencil Studio G. Hemphill-SML.pdf · Geraldine G. Hemphill Born: SeptemBer 16, 1943, ... This is my song! ... School and was on the School Board for

In Loving Memory of

Geraldine G. Hemphill

Born: SeptemBer 16, 1943, LoS AngeLeS, CALiforniA

DieD: oCtoBer 2, 2008, in Her CoLorADo Home

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Looking back . . .gerry was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) on January 10, 2006 . . .

From: Alan & Gerry Hemphill Sent: Friday, May 11, 2007 1:31 PMTo: Dave & Laurel Learish; Rick & Becky Hemphill; Tammy Hemphill

Subject: Hello!–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––---------------------------------–––

Hi! This is my song! I’m sharing it with you. It choked me up at the retreat,

but I love it. Without mentioning the name, Jenneke told me she had a song

she loved and wanted to send it to me :) It just came today. I’ve printed it and

put it in my Bible.Love you all,Mom

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In Christ AloneIn Christ alone my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my songThis Cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and stormWhat heights of love, what depths of peaceWhen fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My Comforter, my All in All Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on fleshFullness of God in helpless babe

This gift of love and righteousnessScorned by the ones He came to save

‘Till on that cross as Jesus diedThe wrath of God was satisfiedFor all my sin on Him was laidHere in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body layLight of the world by darkness slainThen bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose againAnd as He stands in victory

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on meFor I am His, and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in deathThis is the power of Christ in meFrom life’s first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destinyNo power of hell, no scheme of manCan ever pluck me from His hand‘Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Keith getty and Stewart townsend, Copyright 2001 thank You music

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i made my appearance into the Los Angeles, CA, world September 16, 1943, on great grandpa Washburn’s birthday (my maternal grandmother’s father). Since then i had twin cousins born on the same day and, to my joy, my second granddaughter, Kieran rose Hemphill (1998). i was blessed to be raised in a Christian home where both my parents saw the importance of taking me to church and church activities and giving me spiritual training in the home. i had two brothers, Jim and fred, who were my great buddies even though seven and eight years younger.

i loved my church, the reformed presbyterian Church (rpC—Covenanter), and was involved in all the youth activities. my parents took us to presbytery summer church camps each year. When i was in junior high they took us every four years to the national Conferences of our denomination. my best friends were either in my local church, or from other churches in the presbytery.

When i was 11, my mother had a 2 and a 3 year old so my grandma took me to summer camp. it was here that the Lord called me to Himself. i realized that He personally loved me and that He had died for my sins. my little roommate is the one who started asking me questions in our tent cabin one night and i became convicted that i was an unrepentant sinner.

my junior and senior high years were great. i went to a public high school with over 2,000 students. i had a best friend there who was a Christian and we were a great encouragement to one another. With the help of two Christian teachers, we started Youth for Christ clubs in both junior and senior high. A group of half a dozen Christian guys and gals ran the club and brought in Christian speakers. We formed a quiz team, which i was part of, and studied scripture together, writing out questions and answers for the books of the Bible to be studied each particular year. We competed county wide with other schools who had quiz teams. We had YfC rallies on Saturday nights when groups from all over Los Angeles County would come to sing together, hear speakers and compete with our quiz teams. this was a time when i really grew in the Word.

geneva College, a small Christian college from my denomination, sent teams of students to various churches in the summer and mine was one of them. through my teen years i could watch and interact with these students that i so admired for their strong commitment to Christ. i ended up going to geneva largely because of their influence.

Gerry’s Testimony

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in September of my freshman year, for my 2nd date, i went on a double date with Bill (Alan Hemphill’s roommate). i was actually more impressed with Alan (a year ahead of me) so was thrilled when he asked me to go with him the next week to the Homecoming football game and festivities. We went to his cousin’s house to play games that night with several couples. i was very impressed with my date. Soon after i went to Christian Student fellowship (CSf) on a tuesday night and there i heard Alan share his testimony of how the Lord called him to Himself. As he continued talking about the path of medical missionary work that He believed the Lord was leading him toward, i knew that here was a person i wanted to know better! in a very short time i also knew that if he wasn’t the one for me, then i wouldn’t settle for anyone with less than this kind of passion for the Lord and his work.

i soon broke up with the fellow who had followed me from my California church that i’d been dating off and on throughout high school and steadily during our senior year. By Christmas time i was deeply in love with Alan. We had a few dates and talked quite a bit. it took Alan a lot longer to be sure that i was the one for him. i waited and prayed a lot! my sophomore year, 2nd semester, Alan proposed to me on the sidewalk leading to my dorm. We began praying and doing Bible Study together which was a growing experience for our relationship. that Christmas he came to California to my home and presented me with an engagement ring early Christmas morning. (funny thing: my mom had me up late Christmas eve baking cookies and i was upset because i wanted to spend time with Alan. Because he knew i was upset, he almost waited to give me the ring at a later time! But fi nally my mom went to bed and i simmered down so he went ahead with plan A!)

Alan applied to several medical schools and decided on medical school at U. of nY Upstate medical School in Syracuse while i was a senior at geneva. He lived with his parents since his dad was pastoring a church in that city. We managed to see each other about every three weeks—either he’d come down to geneva or i’d go up to his parent’s home. With a very loaded schedule of classes and study he somehow was able to write me several letters a week and occasionally call me. i had a bank on my desk for phone calls that my roommate would often contribute toward. After June graduation, we got married in CA on June 25. Alan painted houses and our church in CA that summer and in September we headed for nY in our little black bug. i taught 5th grade ten miles out in the country while he walked a block to medical school.

talking about the path of medical missionary work that He believed the Lord was

was a person i wanted to know better!

than this kind of passion for the Lord

church that i’d been dating off and on

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Alan transferred to UC irvine medical school after his two years of the book learning because i had such terrible time with allergies to ragweed in nY. i taught 5th grade and then a 4th/5th combination class while he finished medical school.

tammy came to us three years after we were married (born June 13, 1968). She arrived two days before Alan’s medical school graduation. my brothers and dad took Alan to his medical school graduation and my mom took little tammy and i home. i was very disappointed not to be present for his graduation, especially since i had worked to put him through. But what a joy tammy was!

the most traumatic event of my life came when my brother Jim was killed June 3, 1969, on his way to fight in Vietnam. He was on a destroyer undergoing SeAto maneuvers doing antisubmarine warfare with the ships from 40 nations when an Australian aircraft carrier hit the frank e. evans mid-ship, cutting it in two. Jim was on the forward part of the ship, three levels down, when the forward part sank in two minutes time. He was one of 74 who lost their lives that day in the South China Sea. the back half of the ship was tied on to another destroyer. Jim was a very dear brother and close friend and we had shared so much together. He was a believer so i know that He is happy with the Lord now. i struggled with depression for over a year. tammy was one week away from her first birthday when the accident happened. A court martial trial took three months to determine that the fault lay with my brother’s ship.

During this time i grew spiritually as i searched the Bible for verses of promise of the Lord’s Sovereignty. i re-evaluated my life and made some changes in my activities and goals. Another big event hit me—my parents divorced over “irreconcilable differences.” the divorce was final on what would have been Jim’s 19th birthday. in god’s plan, however, my parents remarried each other just before Laurel was born three years later (April 1, 1971). then came rick (fredrick James after my two brothers) two years after that (may 9, 1973).

Alan and i raised our children in the Long Beach area of CA in a town called Cerritos. our children were able to attend a Christian school. Alan worked as a pediatrician next door to Long Beach Children’s Hospital. We transferred membership to the orthodox presbyterian church which was two miles from our home because the rp Church was 25 miles away and we couldn’t be as active in it. Dominic Aquila was our first pastor. our congregation went into the presbyterian Church of America (pCA) a few years later.

Alan was an elder and a teacher at Sunday School and evening Bible Study. i was Women in the Church (WiC) president and active in WiC activities, taught Sunday School and was on the School Board for four years. We watched our children grow

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in the Lord and participate in athletics and art at their school. they all went to geneva, of their own choice. tammy fi rst got a soccer scholarship and when the other two went to visit her, they were sold on geneva. Laurel also got a soccer scholarship and played as a freshman on the college team with tammy when tammy was a senior.

When our grandchildren came along and three of the fi ve were in Colorado Springs and two of our children were here, we decided to move here as well. Alan sold his share in the medical practice and we moved here in July of 2004. We had our home built while he oversaw the proceedings. He began working again in a mountain View pediatric offi ce in monument a few months after the house was fi nished. We have loved our time here and are so happy at forestgate pCA.

that brings me to the present. As you know, i was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better know as Lou gehrig’s Disease, Jan. 10, 2006. it was a terrible shock at fi rst, but the Lord soon brought me to acceptance and reminded me that He would be with me the whole way through the experience. He is still blessing me abundantly and i’m growing spiritually. i’m thankful for the love and support of my family and my church family. my life is in His hands, and i just want to live my remaining days for His glory, testifying of His loving faithfulness.

gerry HemphillDecember 4, 2007

Geraldine remained strong in her faith over the following eleven

months. She passed from this life on October 2, 2008 and is now in

the presence of her Savior.

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Memorial Service at Forestgate preSBYteriAn CHUrCH

CoLorADo SpringS, CoLorADooCtoBer 8, 2008, 10:30 A.m.

IntroductIon pastor Jim Urish

on behalf of Alan and gerry’s family, thank you for joining them in this “sad celebration” of her life. i say ‘sad’ deliberately. She has left us behind and no one can replace her. ‘Celebration’ is also deliberate for gerry has been promoted to glory. Scripture tells us “to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord.” gerry is home and is no longer subject to the pains, sorrows, tears and death of this fallen and sinful world. She has never been better than she is right now—and will be for all eternity. But thank you for coming—your presence is a statement to all the Hemphill family of your love and care for them. they deeply appreciate your love and prayers for them. there will be a meal for family, some friends and out of town guests here after this service.

call to WorshIp pastor Jim Urish

Let’s stand for the reading of god’s good word—from matthew 11:28-30—the words of the Lord Jesus and what a wonderful invitation it is:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My Yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My Yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

openIng prayer pastor Jim Urish

“father, Son and Holy Spirit”—triune Sovereign of all, meet with us dur-ing this hour. Comfort us with your presence, as only You can. Comfort us with the truth of Your Word that alone gives us hope. Comfort us with the joyful memories of gerry and the assurance of Her joy right now in your presence, now and forever. We ask this in the name of your Son Whom to know is life eternal. Amen.”

congregatIonal hymn

i Will Sing the Wondrous Story #180

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eulogy pastor Jim Urish

Geraldine G. [Kerr] Hemphill. . . was born September 16, 1943 in Los Angeles, CA. gerry was the oldest of three children born to the James t. And fern (Chambers) Kerr. Her two brothers, Jim and fred were born several years after gerry. As she wrote in her testimony Jim and fred “were my great buddies, even though 7 and 8 years younger than me.” Her entire childhood, she was involved in the local reformed presbyterian Church

(Covenanter) to those attuned to the distinctives of the various pres-byterian denominations. Besides the normal weekly activities, gerry and her family went to summer camps and even to nat’l conferences of the rpCnA.

it was when gerry was 11 that her grandmother took her to a sum-mer camp (to give some relief to her mom with the pre-school boys at home). there the Lord called her to Himself and she knew that Jesus had died for her sins and she trust-ed Him as Her Lord and Savior. of

course, that was the single most important event in her life and the Lord Jesus then directed her life for over the next 50 years. to know Christ thrilled gerry’s heart.

She spent her school years in public schools. that gave her many opportunities to tell others about Christ. With the help of a best friend and two Christian teachers they started Youth for Christ clubs in both junior high and high school. they orga-nized rallies and had Bible quiz teams. it was her joy to live for Her Lord and Savior.

After high school, she made a cross-country trip, far away from home, to geneva College in Beaver falls, pA. [that is the college of the rpCnA.] As she put it, in her testimony, on her 2nd date, she went on a double date with Alan, but her date was Alan’s roommate, Bill. it was nothing against Bill, but gerry was more interested in Alan, so she was thrilled when he asked her to go with him to the Homecoming football game the next week.

Her entire childhood, she was involved in the local reformed presbyterian Church

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She knew much sooner than Alan that he was the one for her. the next year, sec-ond semester, Alan proposed to her. they were married on June 25, 1965. tammy arrived two days before Alan’s graduation from medical school in 1968, which forced gerry to miss the graduation ceremonies, but what a joy tammy was . . . and is. then along came Laurel in 1971; and finally, rick, (the caboose) in 1973.

the most traumatic event in gerry’s life took place on June 3, 1969. Let me read from her own testimony:

“the most traumatic event of my life came when my brother Jim was killed June 3, 1969, on his way to fight in Vietnam. He was on a destroyer undergoing SeAto maneuvers doing antisubmarine warfare with the ships from 40 nations when an Australian aircraft carrier hit the frank e. evans mid-ship, cutting it in two. Jim was on the forward part of the ship, 3 levels down, when the forward part sank in two minutes time. He was one of 74 who lost their lives that day in the South China Sea. the back half of the ship was tied to another destroyer. Jim was a very dear brother and close friend and we had shared so much together. He was a believer so i know that he is happy with the Lord now. i struggled with depression for over a year.”

obviously gerry, for a couple decades was involved in raising her family, loving and nurturing them in their Christian walk—and how thankful she is that each of her children are continuing to walk with the Lord! She mentions that in her letter to her children as the most important fact about her children—“to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” that’s every Christian mother’s deepest desire—and so it is with gerry.

She was also very involved in her local church and their activities. She was one gift-ed with hospitality—the home was open to one and all. She was also gifted with administration—highly organized to do all that she did. Let me just list a few of the things which gerry was instrumental in organizing: A woman’s bowling league; WiC [Women in Church] in her local church; Camping trips for the church; game nights for the church; A girl’s soccer team at the school, so Laurel wouldn’t have to play with the boys as tammy had! She served on the school board for her chil-dren’s Christian school. She was president of the mother’s Club at their school. gerry attended all of the children’s extracurricular events. She only missed 1.5 of all of tammy’s soccer games. the one game was because she was sick with the flu. the half game was because she split the time between tammy’s boys’ soccer game and Laurel’s girls’ soccer game scheduled at the same time! She even went to rick’s cross-country meets—can you imagine? i mean, what do you do after the start of the race except sit and wait for a half an hour or more until the race is finished!

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Alan was not left out either—she loved and served him with an unselfi shness un-usual in this ‘self-centered’ age—she knew of the time demands Alan’s work made on him. She supported him in all of his work—including her enthusiastic support of his service as an elder in their church.

As i spoke with the family, tammy mentioned that one of the great surprises to her was when they had left the nest. gerry got involved in prison ministry! She couldn’t get into the women’s correctional facilities, so she began ministering to the men’s facility at terminal island in Los Angeles, CA. She touched these men with her care for them. there are still men who ask about her and remember what an im-pact she had on them. in fact, i remember last summer two of the men, now released from prison, came and visited the Hemp-hills—because of the impact gerry had on [gil and Sal]!

i think in all of what gerry did, the great-est gift of all was demonstrated—LoVe! She loved all kinds of people. When she saw you, her face literally lit up with a smile. She was so personal and genuine in her love for people. What an encouragement she was.

How thankful gerry was that she got to live in her ‘dream home’—that warm and inviting log home that has been Alan and gerry’s home these past three years. When diagnosed with ALS on January 10, 2007, she did cry for a while. But she made the best of a diffi cult diagnosis and moved on. She remained thankful to the end and expressed her thanksgiving to god in personal letters to each of her children and to Alan. [BtW, that’s a good idea for us—to pen letters to our loved ones to be read after our death]. After a couple of diffi cult days last week, gerry was promoted to glory at 7:40 p.m. on thursday, october 2.

gerry leaves her husband Alan, her mother, fern, her brother fred, her three loving children, tammy, Laurel [Dave Learish] and rick [Becky Downes] and fi ve wonder-ful grandchildren Katelyn, Kiera, Brynnae, Jeremy, and Shaelyn. tears are appropri-ate for us as we are left behind, but let us not weep for gerry. She is now safe and secure forever in the presence of her good and loving Heavenly father. Amen.

—pastor Jim Urish

her was when they had left the nest. gerry got involved in prison ministry! She couldn’t get into the women’s correctional

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Psalm 23The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want.

He makes me down to lieIn pastures green; He leadeth me

The quiet waters by.

My soul He doth restore again;And me to walk doth make

Within the paths of righteousness,Even for His own Name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale,Yet will I fear none ill;

For Thou art with me; and Thy rodAnd staff me comfort still.

My table Thou hast furnishedIn presence of my foes;

My head Thou dost with oil anoint,And my cup overfl ows.

Goodness and mercy all my lifeShall surely follow me;

And in God’s house forevermoreMy dwelling place shall be.

crimond – Irvinethe tune Crimond fi rst appeared in 1872 in the northern psalter accompanying the words to the hymn “ i Am the Way the truth And the Life “. this tune was credited to David grant, an amateur musician, however it was claimed that grant was not the composer but simply in receipt of the music to help harmonized it for the true composer Jessie irvine. . the Scottish psalter of 1929 credits irvine as being the composer although it is still disputed by some.

Jessie seymour Irvine 1836–1883 was the a daughter of a parish minister who served at Dunottar, peterhead, and Crimond–the–town. it is this place which she named the tune after.

crimond – Irvine

a Brief history: Introduction

psalm 23 is a popular psalm to set to arrange

to music with a large number of different

lyrics and musical arrangements appearing

through the ages to present day. Without

doubt, the most familiar and well known

version of this psalm is that which is found

in the Scottish psalter of 1650 set to the tune

Crimond.

scottish psalter 1650

the words from the Scottish psalter is a merg-

er of a number of different metrical psalters

and poetry such as from Zachary Boyd pastor

of Barony Church in glasgow and vice-

chancellor of glasgow University he wrote

his metrical version of psalm 23 in 1646, Sir

William mure of rowallan, born 1594, who

fought under Cromwell in the Civil war and

francis rous born 1579, who also supported

oliver Cromwell serving as member of parlia-

ment for truro and Speaker of the Barebones

parliament, who ´s poetry contributed to the

second line of the 1650 psalter.

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scrIpture/message pastor Dominic Aquila

Living Vigorously . . . Finishing Wellthese words express and summarize a life lived well. if there was anything true about gerry Hemphill is that she lived life vigorously and to its full. Anyone who was around gerry for any period of time saw her passion for life and the way she lived fully in each moment.

An extension of gerry’s vitality was how well she was organized; she planned everything well ahead of time. even this memorial service was planned ahead of time. Some of the things we are doing today were stipulated by gerry as far back as December 2007, a full 10 months before she died. even the hymns we are singing today were chosen by her, so you know that we couldn’t change them because we know that gerry would not be pleased. As we met with her family to plan this ser-vice, we didn’t have to decide what to do, all we had to do was put it in order.

But we need to understand that gerry’s drive to do all she could was not just be-cause she was a type-A personality, she was that, but there was something else. Her drive was an extension of her desire to serve and honor her Savior, Jesus Christ. You couldn’t be around her for long without hearing something about Jesus, about his love for her and her desire to glorify him. this is one time that the word “pas-sionate” really fits; she passionately loved her Lord and believed that she had to exert herself to serve. this service, however, was not one of duty as much as it was out of sheer delight.

When we met with the family to discuss the service, the stories of gerry’s exploits and engagements flowed easily. one after another Alan and the children shared how she was involved with people, meeting their needs, engaged in their lives. As i listened to these anecdotes my mind turned to the account of Dorcas, who gave so selflessly for others.

in Joppa there was a disciple named tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “please come at once!” peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees

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and prayed. turning toward the dead woman, he said, “tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. this became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon (Acts 9:36- 43).

i happened to be in the Los Angeles area the weekend after gerry died. As the word of gerry’s death became known, friends would share their remembrances with me. John Kortenhoeven, who had been a member of Cornerstone pCA in Artesia, Cali-fornia when the Hemphills were there, recalled gerry’s intense involvement with the prison ministry. He remarked how prisoners still remember her and ask about her, even though she has not been in there for over four years now. they remem-ber how she would eagerly speak with them and take notes when they had prayer requests or mentioned needs that they had.

Alan and gerry went to egypt on a couple of mission trips to minister there. Alan served in the clinic while gerry engaged in other ministries. John Kadis, a friend, a member of the Artesia church, and an egyptian who led these trips, asked me to mention that pastor magdy of the naghamadi presbyterian Church in naghamadi, egypt called to con-vey his greetings to the Hemphill family. He asked me to pass on this from pastor magdy: “Alan and gerry were here two times and during these times gerry touched many lives and hearts and she is remembered fondly.

the pastor, elders and members are praying for Alan and the children.” gerry left an impression wherever she went; she had a contagious spirit. (Because of gerry’s love for this mission in egypt, she requested that any memorial gifts be sent to: Samaritan medical foundation, p.o. Box 1494, Downey,CA 90240.)

With all of these comments about gerry’s wonderful acts of service, we may think that she had it all together and lived an idyllic life. But if you listened carefully to her and read some of her statements written after she was diagnosed with ALS, you would get another picture. gerry was not a perfect saint; she was redeemed and knew that quite well, but she wrestled with trusting god. She wrote that she struggled with trust because she liked to be in control. But through her illness she learned what it meant to trust god for big and small things. She wrote a testimony to the women in her church a couple weeks before she died in which she expressed what god was teaching her about trust and how she was growing in this area:

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“During this season of my life the elements of god’s character that have been most meaningful and evident to me are His Sovereignty in ALL things and His great, great love for me while i learn to be totally dependent upon Him. At times i think i must be a slow learner as i continually try to handle the ups and downs of this dis-ease myself, but i’m learning to cry out to Him first. Alan, my husband, best friend and personal doctor reminds me to take it one day at a time. though there have been seasons of my life when i haven’t been under trial and still learned much about the Lord, at this particular time, He has given me new boldness to share my faith with nonbelievers over e-mail. i know this is His special gift to me.”

in her written comments about what she wanted for this service, gerry listed a number of Bible passages that were special to her for a number of reasons, but many of them dealt with the need to trust god and not be anxious. Here are a couple of them that reminded her to place her confidence in her Savior:

“All this i have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything i have said to you. 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” (John 14:25-27).

But now, this is what the LorD says — he who created you, o Jacob, he who formed you, o israel: “fear not, for i have redeemed you; i have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, i will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (isaiah 43:1-2).

And when she struggled with her disease, gerry remembered that there was more to life than what this world had to offer. She knew that her Savior had prepared the way for her and that the troubles of this life had to be seen in light of eternity. She believed what paul said in romans 8:18, “i consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

in her typical orderly fashion and with a desire not leave any loose ends, gerry wrote a letter on December 4, 2007 to each of her children, tammy, Laurel and rick. She expressed her love for them and then reminded them of the most impor-tant thing she could give them:

there are some things i can say to you together. the most important one is that, “i have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (iii John verse 4). Secondly, i love each one so dearly and have enjoyed, and have been blessed, by the adventure of parenting you along with Alan, your dad. the older

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you become, the richer the relationship has been between us. You have honored and respected me and loved and cared for me and i thank you . . .

As you know, Jim’s death was the biggest trauma of my life. But i learned so much about god’s sovereignty and about His faithfulness in every aspect of my life despite the personal tragedy i experienced. i believe that god used that time to prepare me for the future events in my life, including preparing to die. i am at great peace about my eternal security and the awesomeness of living forever with my Savior. i must admit to you that the circumstances i may go through in the process of dying give me great fear. Sometimes i fi nd myself getting panicky, but then the Lord steps in. i must continually pray for the Lord to restore my courage. And, He does! He is so faithful! He is teaching me to live one day at a time. Alan reminds me of this so often as well. Lamentations 3:21-23 says, “But this i call to mind, and therefore i have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new ‘every morning;’ great is your faithfulness.”

She also refl ected on some other areas where she struggled. from her written testi-mony she states the following:

“the most traumatic event of my life came when my brother Jim was killed June 3, 1969, on his way to fi ght in Vietnam. He was on a destroyer undergo-ing SeAto maneuvers doing antisubmarine warfare with the ships from 40 nations when an Australian aircraft carrier hit the frank e. evans mid-ship, cut-ting it in two. Jim was on the forward part of the ship, 3 levels down, when the forward part sank in two minutes time. He was one of 74 who lost their lives that day in the South China Sea. the back half of the ship was tied on to another destroyer. Jim was a very dear brother and close friend and we had shared so much together. He was a believer so i know that He is happy with the Lord now. i strug-gled with depression for over a year. tammy was one week away from her fi rst birthday when the accident happened. A court martial trial took 3 months to determine that the fault lay with my brother’s ship.”

But we need to come back to where gerry’s hope was really found: it was in her Savior Jesus Christ. As we noted, she loved the Scriptures and found great hope and comfort in its teachings. Her family knew this and as gerry was close to death the family read Scripture to her. As she slipped into eternity her ears were ringing with

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these wonderful truths. Here are some of the last words gerry heard as her family read psalm 25 to her:

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Re-member, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD . . . Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins (psalm 25: 1-7; 12-18).

Let me say to you Alan, tammy, Laurel, and rick that all of us gathered here loved gerry and each of you. You already know all that we have been saying about your wife and mother since you lived with her all these years. You know of her love for you, how she lived out the reality of her faith and her caring manner with people.

Alan, gerry made it clear how much she loved you and depended on you. You had over 43 years together and they were filled with joy, love, children, extended fam-ily, friends, church, travel, and so much more. obviously, you would prefer to have gerry here with you, so there will be a big hole in your heart and affections. only god can fill that void; he alone can restore the broken heart. We as people can give you a hug and hope to fill some of the void, but we know that we can only do so much. So our prayer is that the Lord of peace will work mightily in you—and we pray this as well for you, tammy, Laurel and rick.

gerry lived life vigorously and she finished well. god’s grace was sufficient for her during her life and it was sufficient for her as she entered into glory. What a beauti-ful testimony in life and in death. gerry is at peace in the presence of her Savior and in this we all take comfort as well. We give glory to god for gerry’s life and for his inestimable gift of Jesus Christ.

—Dr. Dominic Aquila

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congregatIonal hymn

i Will Sing of my redeemer #650

a trIBute to mom rick Hemphill

A few Words . . .

When i remember mom . . . Verse text here—Colossians 3:17

in Christ Alone photo memories

other trIButes fred Kerr, brotherSharon Carlson, friend

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A Mother’s TributeYou will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever for the Lord, The Lord is the rock eternal.—isaiah 26:3-4

What a precious promise this is and one to which i have been laying claim in the diffi cult times to which i have been exposed these past months especially.

i never dreamed i would lose my dear daughter until her fatal illness developed and we were offered no hope from the medical fi eld for her recovery. my only comforts came from knowing that she knew her Savior personally and that He would never leave her or forsake her, or us. i kept thinking, I am not supposed to out live my children but god had other plans and He has taken two of my three children home to be with Him. my faith does not permit me to ask “why” but to remember that “god does all things well” and i rest on His good and His glory.

geraldine was all i could ask for in a daughter. We had wonderful times together as she grew up and later doing tea houses, traveling to the mountains and beaches; just all kinds of good fun. We talked a lot about life and spiritual things we had learned and believed. one of the hardest things for me was not being able to converse personally with her as the disease began to take its toll. relaying messages was often frustrating for us both.

in closing i am so thankful for the many years god gave us together. further, i am also thankful for what Alan meant to her and i want him and their children and grandchildren to know how wonderful she/they are in my eyes. i thank god daily for each of them and for geraldine.

fern Kerroctober 8, 2008

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A Brother’s Tributethis is a special opportunity for me. Let me thank each of you for coming today to bid farewell to my sister gerry and to celebrate her life. i say this on behalf of Alan, tammy, Laurel and Dave, rick and Becky and her five grandchildren. i also speak for our mother fern, my wife Judy and our children and grand children. Your prayers and caring for my sister and this family over the past months and your coming to day mean more then you will ever know. i also want to thank Alan and the kids for all their care for gerry over the past two years. We love you.

geraldine was the salt of the earth. What does this mean? it means like salt: •Shecouldchangeorflavorasituationorenvironmentforthegood. •Shepreservedgoodwhenshefoundit. •LikeacondimentsheaddedZIP,ZESTandTANGtolife.

geraldine was born on 9/16/43. She was the oldest of three kids and i am the youngest. We were named after our grandparents, gladys and george (and we’d tease each other). our brother Jim was killed in 1969 in a naval accident. Although she and i were separated by nearly nine years in age she was a wonderful big sister. Let me share some memories with you: •MyfirstmovieIrememberwaswhenshetookustoSnowWhite. •ShegavememyfirstBiblein1961forChristmas. •MybrotherandIpaintedherplayhouseanddollsredwhenshewasat

school. •Shecalmedmyfears,whenmybrothercastdoubtonSantaandsaid,“It’s

oK, we still get presents!” •Shereallyhadoneofthosepoodleskirtsbutwithfish,coralandshellsonit. •Sheintroducedmybrotherandmetopizza. •Shetookustofootballgamesandtothebeachinher1954Chevy(Jezebel). •SheleftforcollegewhenIwasnineyearsold •Shelovedmysportsevents •ShebroughtAlanhomefromcollegeandtherestishistory. •Iremembereachofherkids’birthdays... - tammy “spoiled” my H.S. graduation and Alan’s medical school

graduation. - Laurel was an April fools baby. - rick was named after Jim and i—fredrick James. •ShewasthefirstpersonItoldIwouldsomedaymarryJudy. •We’vehadsomegreattimesinColoradothelastfewyears. •ShewasasorganizedasIamnot—Ha!

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•Herrecipesareoflegend—7UPapplesauceJello... •WhenourbrotherJimdiedshewroteandtoldme,“Ifeellikeyouwere

cheated because you lost your only brother and i still have one”—What a sister!

my sister walked the talk. She was a living example of her faith. it was never in question. She set an example for all of us on how to live this life and share the good news with everyone she came in contact with. i noted recently when she could type with only two fi ngers she wrote, “i often feel afraid & continually have to pray for the Lord’s help and peace.” that is profoundly normal and comforting to me.

When i visited her in April she wrote on her grease board “my home is not here it is in heaven and i want to go home.” She knew she had done a good job. no more worries about Alan or the kids. While eternal life may seem hazy or blurred to us here on earth, my sister today is seeing god face to face.

in closing, let me say that our lives have been a wonderful journey. thankfully we do not know what the future holds. the Bible says do not let your heart be troubled and to trust god. further we are told to take no thought for tomorrow as it will take care of itself. of the three kids in our family i would be voted the maverick for sure. i often have wondered why god took my brother home fi rst and now my sister. Dad is gone and our family of fi ve from the fi fties is down to mom and me (by the way she is doing fi ne at sea level in San Luis obispo).

i do believe that i am here for a purpose. recently our pastor in CA stated that, god’s grace is always in the wind, we merely need to hoist our sail. my sister was/is a sailor. A salty one at that! i believe one reason god has so richly blessed my life on earth is to be sure we all become sailors like my sister/Aunt gerry/great Aunt gerry.

today there are six Kerr men from a family where our dad was the only son. gerry was the only Kerr girl born in the last 65 years. no one can ever replace her. But, next month, by god’s grace, madeline grace Kerr will be the born to Wayne and Laurel Kerr in reno, nV. i fi nd this amazing.

thank you . . . and farewell geraldine.

fred Kerroctober 8, 2008

thank you . . . and farewell geraldine.

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A Friend’s Tribute

those of us who have experienced the wonderful hospitality of gerry and Alan in their new Colorado home have no doubt noticed the plaque on the mantel that proclaims that place as the “Hemphill Haven.” What a fitting name!

my friend gerry’s home was not only a haven, but her whole life exuded the comfort and serenity and security that that word implies. What a beautiful and giving woman she was—and she will remain so in my heart and memory forever.

i first met gerry as she swung open her front door in Cerritos about 35 years ago and welcomed me into her home for a neighborhood Bible Study. i was new to the neighborhood, had gone to a tupperware party, and ruth rhodes told me about gerry and the Bible Study. “it’s the house with the fence around the front yard,” she said—and so it was that my life’s path and gerry’s began to intertwine.

for it was gerry who opened her home to women (and kids up in the bonus room with DeeDee) for a neighborhood Bible Study so that we could get to know each other—and our Savior—better. Her hospitality and genuine love for people and for the Lord provided a safe place—a haven—for us to share and connect and laugh and cry and grow and form friendships that still exist.

And it was gerry who was the impetus to organize the progressive dinners, the game nights, dinners out with husbands, cake-decorating classes for our girls, Halloween parties, and other neighborhood events i remember so fondly.

And it was gerry who told us about the Bellflower Christian pre-School, and soon Jon and Laurel were schoolmates there. our children spent many an hour together at each other’s homes, and gerry and i also found time to discuss the previous night’s Dodger game. it was fun to have a friend who was a Dodger (or actually, a Vin Scully) fan!

And it was gerry who introduced me to the world of bowling; i was so stunned when she asked if i’d like to be on her team, because i had never even been in a bowling alley—but i actually learned to bowl with her encouragement!

And it was gerry who introduced me to the world of Bible Study fellowship. She invited me to come along to the introductory class, and what a life-changing invitation that was for me! through Bible Study fellowship i grew so much in my spiritual walk, and i will always be grateful that gerry brought me there.

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And then, in April of 1982, the plechas family began a frightening sojourn into the unknown as my husband Dave experienced a nervous breakdown and left the work-force for good. And once again, it was gerry, with her husband Alan, who demonstrated great caring and concern for us and who never wavered in their unconditional support for us.

And it was gerry who continued to be there for me, who took me to lunch whenever i could make it, who listened and prayed and encouraged and kept in touch even when i was incapable of reaching out . . . She was truly a haven for me during those years.

then gerry and Alan moved to Colorado Springs. We were happy for them, but i missed her. So what a delight it was when, through an incredible set of events, Dave and i also moved to Colorado Springs last year!

And it was gerry who once again swung open the front door to their home so we could stay there for four days while we went house-hunting. And so it was that our life’s paths came full circle and we could again enjoy being together to do lunch and share concerns and reminisce . . . .

the time we had together here in Colorado was brief, but all of the years we shared together were so special and meaningful to me. She was my best friend. i can think of no other non-family person who has impacted my life the way gerry has, and i am so very grateful that our Heavenly father chose to bless me so richly through His faithful servant, gerry.

from marilyn plechasoctober, 2008

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specIal musIc

it is Well With my Soul A.t. Stoddard

closIng prayer pastor Jim Urish

o gracious and Loving father, thank You that in the death of Your Son You destroyed the power of death for all time. thank You for the life of Your servant gerry and for what she has meant to all of us. Bless us with a faithful love for You, like hers—through joys and sorrows. give us a peaceful trust in Your good-ness and mercy as You sovereignly rule all of Your creation. Help us through the times of emptiness and sadness so that we might live, not for ourselves—or even for our loved ones, but for the one Who fi rst loved us and gave Himself for us—even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BenedIctIon pastor Jim Urish

“And now to Him Who is able to keep you from falling . . . and to present you before His glorious presence . . . without fault and with great joy—to the only god our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power and do-minion, now and forevermore. Amen.”

Prelude: Vivian Wilson, Hannah Joy Vander Hart, Stephen Baran Special Music: Marcia Veatch, Craig and Shana Milroy, Margie Hemphill, Melissa Hindman, and Rich Marshall

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Guests

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Guests

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Guests

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Guests

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Family Burial ServicememoriAL gArDenS

CoLorADo SpringS, CoLorADooCtoBer 10, 2008, 1:00 p.m.

We have now come, now, to the final parting of the ways; the dead are buried here, and the living must find their way to go on with the life the Lord Jesus gives them.

Standing here by the waiting grave, we turn once more to the Scriptures and its teaching to find substance for our faith in the comfort and hope of our redemption.

Shorter Catechism summary:Q37: What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?A37: the souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.

genesis chapter 23 is a whole chapter re. the death and burial of Sarah (only four verses for the death of Abraham). this is the closing of the complex epic of the wanderings of faith of Abraham and Sarah, all focused on the birth of isaac, the promised Seed, the seed of the woman. Abraham buried Sarah in a small plot of ground he bought, trusting in the outcome of the promise god had made. from the place given to this story, it’s like Abraham planted Sarah, an in-vestment of faith in the promise of resurrection and the removal of the curse . . .

What Abraham grasped, Job verbalized. through his struggles with god’s af-flicting providences, Job came to be able to say:

As for me, i know that my redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. 26 even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh i shall see god. 27 Whom i myself shall behold, and whom my eyes will see and not another. [And Job concluded,] “my heart faints within me” (19:25-27). (Limited comfort in good theology.)

John 11:23-26 Jesus said to martha, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 She an-swered, “i know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”25 Jesus said to her, “i am the resurrection and the life.” (Differ theology from Source.)

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finally, the Apostle paul said:

We do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so god will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. for this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, we will not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of god, and the dead in Christ will arise first. then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. therefore, com-fort one another with these words. (1 thessalonians 4:13-18)

Since it has pleased Almighty god, in His unfathomable wisdom and mercy, to take to himself the spirit of our dear sister, geraldine Hemphill, we therefore commit her remains to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and we do this in the sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

[prayer]

now may the god of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in your faith that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

—rev. Bruce Hemphill

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