Given February 19, 2022 at the Doris Fuchs Celebration of Life Service, St. Paul Lutheran Church in Taylor, Texas
My mom was my hero! In my heart and mind, she embodied the definition of hero: “a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength.”
That was my mom. And while bravely combating all types of adversity, she was always kind, generous, caring, and selfless.
As we gather today to celebrate my mom, I want to share a few things about her life, faith and love.
Celebrating Her Life
Nearly 25 years ago, I honored both my parents with a tribute for their 40th Wedding Anniversary. In keeping with the Fourth Commandment to “honor your father and your mother,” I wrote out aspects of each of them that I appreciated. Here is the acrostic of “MOTHER” that shared in August 1997, which still held true throughout her life:
M
- Memory Maker
- Merciful
- Missionary Heart
O
- Optimistic
- Organized
- Others-Centered
T
- Teacher
- Tenderhearted
- Thoughtful
H
- Hard-Working
- Homemaker
- Hutto Hippo
E
- Empathetic
- Encourager
- Example of Christ
R
- Real
- Recipe Collector
- Responsive
These are just a few of the special things about my mom throughout her 88 years of life!
Celebrating Her Faith
My mom’s faith in the Lord was most important to her. She was raised in a Christian home, attended and served faithfully in church (including St. Paul Lutheran) and even graduated from a Lutheran college.
One of her desires was to serve the Lord vocationally, and she did that for two years as a parish secretary after college (before getting married). She spoke of how significant that was to her.
Her faith continued to guide her into marriage and raising a family. Some of my favorite childhood memories are when she read Bible stories to us each night.
Her faith laid a strong foundation for my own faith. My mom’s dream of serving the Lord vocationally in fact became my own dream and calling, as I have served as a missionary with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) for nearly 27 years.
And my mom’s faith carried her through all sorts of challenges, including breast cancer and memory loss.
Celebrating Her Love
Mom was the real-life example of God’s love to her family and friends. Through her words, attitudes, and actions, she loved the Lord and others well.
In her daily life, she lived out Proverbs 3:3-6 –
“Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
I believe Mom demonstrated God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, and indeed she trusted the Lord with all her heart.
Precious in the Sight of the Lord
We are promised in Psalm 116:15 that “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” And I think my mom is probably one of the Lord’s favorite saints, just as she is mine.
My mom always had so much joy and a wonderful smile, even to the end. I am certain she is now smiling in heaven!
So, I say goodbye to my mom:
Mom, you’re still my hero! Thank you for being an amazing mother, mother-in-law, and grandma. We love you dearly. We trust you are in heaven with Jesus, and we look forward to getting hugs when we get to heaven, too!
With love, Robin (and Joe and Noah)