Eleanor Shutwell - 9/19/19

Eleanor Shutwell

92119

We gather today to mourn the loss and more importantly to celebrate the life of Eleanor Shutwell. As we do so we anchor to the hope of life eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Apostle Paul wrote,

40There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 41The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.

42It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. (1 Corinthians 15:40-44)

It was Jesus who said,

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. (John 11:25-26)

This is our comfort and our hope. Please bow with me for prayer.

Our Father, we do not choose the moment of our birth or the moment of our death. Some linger, some perish quickly. Some die young, and some live many years. We do not understand the why and how of life and death, but we know you work everything according to your perfect plan.

We are grateful today for the years Eleanor Shutwell blessed our lives. Today we ask that you help us to remember her spirit, her faith, and her sense of humor as we try to grasp the fact that she is now with you. Stir up within us faith and hope. We ask in Jesus name. Amen.

Eleanor Shutwell was born on December 13, 1926 in La Harpe the daughter of Estes and Anna Berkshire Thompson. She graduated from La Harpe High School in 1944 and attended Jr. College in Burlington.

She dated Dale Shutwell, but he was called to serve in World War II. It was at this time she took a Civil Servant test and took a job in Washington, DC in the Naval Records Office. Eleanor said one day she and Dorothy McIntyre were walking to work in the snow and Harry Truman pulled over and gave them a ride.

Eleanor married Dale Shutwell on August 9th, 1946. This means they recently celebrated 73 years of marriage. They were blessed with three children. Linda died suddenly in her father's arms at just two years old. Ken died several years ago, and Ted survives.

Eleanor had a number of jobs over her years. She worked as a cook for the La Harpe and Durham Illinois Elementary School. She worked as an order-buyer for Hamilton and Miller Grocery Store which used to be on Main Street in La Harpe. She worked the longest as a legal secretary for Richard Rasmussen.

Eleanor was also a busy farm wife. She was a woman of warmth, spirit, and intelligence. She died on Tuesday, September 17th and leaves a host of people who will miss her.

Eleanor was well educated and loved to learn. She worked hard as a farm wife. She took care of milking the cows. The boys who were supposed to help her. One day the boys spent the day playing with a goat. Eleanor worked to get all the cows in the right spot. When they came into where the cows were they scattered because of the goat smell. When Eleanor determined what the problem was, she was not happy. As she started to chew the boys out her upper plate in her mouth gave way and she caught it before it fell into the waste pit. Then . . . she really wasn't happy! (I wonder if we are missing the part of the story where the boys snickered just a bit).

Eleanor was strict as a mom. She expected the boys to be home when she told them to be home. One time she instructed her boys, some of the McKinnon's, and some other neighbors and friends, they were not to go swimming in the pond because she believed it would make them sick. She heard them screaming and came running only to find the whole group of them playing in the pond! Eleanor grabbed a switch and used it punish every one of those children . . . even the ones that were not hers!

She faced a number of challenges as a mom. There was the time Ken bored a nice hole in the living room floor. Then there was the time their dog Gypsy, was scared by a Thunderstorm and relieved himself all over Dale and Eleanor's bed. No one was home at the time. The boys came home first and figured they would like be blamed for this mishap, so they changed the sheets on the bed and made it look pristine. However, the first thing Eleanor did was notice the change. She demanded to know why everything was changed. They told the truth. When she asked where the old bedding was, they told they balled it up and left it in the corner of the basement! Eleanor did not think that was funny.

Most of the time Eleanor was a person who made life much more fun. She had a remarkably quick wit and saw the humor in life. Since Dale also has a quick wit, you had better be able to keep up with them. If you couldn't keep up with the humor, you might find yourself the centerpiece of the humor!

Eleanor loved to laugh and smile. Lester Stout used to love to play practical jokes on Eleanor. One time, in addition to giving Dale a dribble cup, he had placed a device under the toilet seat in his bathroom. Everyone was playing cards and Eleanor needed to use the facilities. As soon as she sat down, she heard: "Hey, who turned out the lights . . . I'm working down here!" After she composed herself, Eleanor loved it.

She loved to bake. She always kept the cookie jar full for grandkids.

One of her favorite pastimes was to play cards. She would play cards with the grandchildren, Dale, or anyone else who wanted to play. When she and Dale played, they played either Poker or Pitch. With the Grandchildren, she liked to play Go Fish, Old Maid, and Yahtzee.

Eleanor and Dale loved their morning breakfasts at the Country Cafe restaurant. Eleanor loved flowers and gardening . . . sort of. She liked canning and using what came out of the garden, but, was not a big fan of maintaining a garden.

Eleanor kept a diary throughout her life. She had volumes of records. If you ever wanted to know when something happened, she could go down and look through her diaries and find the information for you. She liked to write. I think she found it cathartic.

Eleanor made sure she would not be caught in a situation where she didn't have any food. She knew about the Depression. She didn't want that to happen to her. So, she kept enough can goods in the basement to get her through any crisis.

Eleanor liked to dance. She and Dale used to jitterbug in the house. She danced with the Grandkids. Once when she was much younger, she was dancing and got a big splinter in her foot. That did not dampen her enthusiasm.

Eleanor Shutwell loved life. She had lots of friends. She loved to read and kept her mind very young. She was a woman who endured much. She buried two children, she lost sight in one eye and struggled with her broken hip, but . . . she never complained. She took what life gave her and tried to be faithful in every circumstance. She was a godly woman who remained faithful to the end.

We will all miss her even as we thank God for her.

BECAUSE HE LIVES

In the last book of the Bible we read these words,

13And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!” (Revelation 14:13)

As human beings we fear death, we put it off as long as possible. We mourn when someone dies. However, the Bible paints a very different picture. Death according to the Bible is when

We obtain a building built by God

We go to live in the Father's House

We are given an incorruptible body

We are with Jesus

We are finally and fully set free from sin

We are reunited with those who have gone before us

We receive our heavenly reward and our salvation is made complete

We finally see and understand completely

We read of Heaven,

God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

The Bible is clear however, not everyone is going to Heaven when they die. That goes against the popular notion that seems to believe either there is no Heaven, everyone goes to Heaven, or only good people go to Heaven and most of us are good people. According to the Bible, none of those things is true.

God says there is only one way to get to Heaven, and that is the way He established: we must put our trust

in the work of Jesus alone.

The Bible explains, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory (or the standard) of God." Since all have sinned, no one is good enough to earn salvation. Many of the things we call good are actually done for selfish reasons. And even if we did something truly good, it would have no ability to cancel out the sinful things. In that case we would simply be doing what we were supposed to be doing. Turning in your homework assignment does not cancel the times you did not turn in your assignment. It is the same with our sin.

Since we cannot save ourselves or earn salvation, Jesus came to help us. He came to give His life as a payment for our sin. By His sacrifice, we find forgiveness and can be made right with God. When Jesus came back from the dead, He proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He was indeed the one who could save us. Those who open their hearts and lives to the work of Christ, are made part of God's family and will live in Heaven with Him when they die.

Unfortunately, not everyone will do that. They believe they don't need Christ. They might even say "all my friends will be in Hell, so that is where I want to be." What they don't understand is friendship is a gift from God. So is love, joy, peace, laughter, and every other good gift of life. None of that is in Hell. Only regret. . . forever.

I believe Eleanor came to Christ early in her life. Her parents were strong believers. She grew up knowing the Bible. Her faith was certain.

Because of this, today is sad because we won't see Eleanor again until, we exercise faith in the death and resurrection of Christ and get to Heaven. However, for Eleanor this day is something to celebrate. She is home. She is reunited with the children she has been long separated from. She is back with siblings, her parents, and so many of her friends who have gone on before her. Above all, she has finally met Jesus in person. She has met the One who loved her from before she was even born. She is home more than she has ever been before. She is more alive now than she was on earth. It is a truly great day.

So, this is a day to remember what the gospel is really all about. It is not about religion, it is about Jesus and God's great love that led Him to come and rescue us. The gospel message points to the way of salvation and life beyond the grave. This is a day to make OUR faith sure. It is a reminder of the life that is to come. Today should provoke us to get ready because we realize once again that this life is only temporary. What lies ahead is eternal.

I believe Eleanor Shutwell is now with Jesus. The hip is healed. Her energy is restored. And her joy and peace are deepened in ways she could not have fathomed. This is a good and glorious day for her. With Timothy, she could say,

7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

Ted wrote a poem about his grandmother many years ago . . . now in reading the words they can equally describe his mother, Eleanor.

FOR YOU ALONE

High atop the family

Like the first rose on the vine.

She proudly grows in beauty

for all the world to find.

And with the morning dew

she blossoms every day.

For like the rose, she too...

spreads her love this way.

Sprinkled 'round her vine

are loved ones growing too.

But roses of her kind

are only known by few.

Of course, I mean my grandma (mother),

for she is natures best.

Made from lasting love

I'm sure we've all confessed.

And so I say for all of us

as roses grow each spring.

You are the rose atop our vine.

You are our everything......

We thank God for Eleanor Shutwell. And my prayer is we would remember what she taught us,

Life should be enjoyable . . . don't take everything so seriously

Always take faith seriously

Stay young by keeping your mind sharp

Take time to dance

Laugh more

Focus on the positive rather than wallow in the negative

Marriage was meant to last for a lifetime

Live this life in such a way that you are preparing for the life that is to come.

Eleanor Shutwell was a gift from God, and we give thanks for her.

Father, there are people in life that help us to see You more clearly. Eleanor was one of those people. We thank you for her life. We entrust her to Your capable hands. Help us to build on the lessons she taught us.

Grant your comfort to her family and especially to Dale. We thank you for the special relationship they shared for all these years.

Lord, help us today to believe Your promises and to draw comfort from the reality that Christ rose from the dead and told us we too would live even though we die. Help us to embrace the life you offer to us; the life that goes on, even after this life has passed.

We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.