A Big Thank You and other news~
The service in Santa Cruz was a beautiful tribute to Gary. I was told that between 400 to 500 people attended. There were generations of families present as well as the band Gary loved so much, playing at the reception. Our dear friend Sue French blessed us with two songs during the service. ..one of them being one of Garys favorites sang by Tim Timmons. ..Cast My Cares. Sue was accompanied by Phil and Dan...I know Gary would have loved it. Garys dad and brother did a wonderful job recalling Garys youth and their more recent times with him so beautifully. Caleb spoke from his sons heart and shared who his father was as only a son could. Thank you to all of you who made the day so special. Gary you are missed every second of everyday....you would be proud seeing all of us ....me , your children ...your players...people who worked with you and so many others..walk day by day with all you taught and shared with us while God allowed you to share your time with us on this earth. People have shared with me how much they have enjoyed seeing the pictures from the boat we took out to scatter the ashes and I have been so blessed to know the pictures have been shared in such a personal and private setting for you to enjoy. Thank you Jim and Kerry for such a special gift. Please pray for me as March 28th would have been our 35th wedding anniversary. I need strength to follow through with medical bills and other logistics that need to be done. Lastly. ..The Desert Memorial Service date has been set for April 25th at 11:00, located at South West Church in Palm Desert. We will post the date and time again with directions but we are excited to celebrate Garys life with our Desert family. I will leave you today with the verse Gary and I read togeather every morning after he was diagnosed with Cancer. This is the day that the Lord has made. We Gary and Dawn will rejoice in it. Psalm 118:24 Today I rejoice that Gary is home with his heavenly father while at the same time I grieve that I must continue on without him today. Blessings Dawn
Comments (13)
Love you Dawn.
What s beautiful tribute to Gary and all your family. Dawn, You are an example of how God is the lifter of our head in our sorrow. I hear the rejoicing through the pain in your words. What a beautiful demonstration of the joy in you that the world does not understand and that this world can not take away from us. I am praising God with you and for you but also praying for His continued hand of mercy to be on you and the family's life in this loss. So amazing how we grieve our loss and God brings us the joy of His adventure as He leads 2us day by day through the darkness into His light. 23rd Psalms.
Dawn, Thank you for sharing some of the details, in such a personal way. Gods grace and mercy are on you. Looking forward to celebrating Gary on April 25th and having the opportunity to give you a hug!
Dawn, it was such an honor to be a part of that service...Gary was such a sweetie. I have such fond memories of being in bands with him...both secular and Christian. Singing for his memorial was one of the hardest things I have ever done...but I just kept remembering that he is now living a life that we have no knowledge of yet. So rich, so full...he has seen Jesus face to face...we are still processing the loss. Randy and I are remembering you on a consistent basis. Our hearts ache for you. But God will take care of you...I know that. Please text if you need anything. All love Sue
Glad you had so many turn out for the memorial. Wow! :) Don't think I saw any photos of that, but enjoyed the photos on the boat. Thank you for planning to have a memorial here in Palm Desert also. I don't think I ever had the pleasure of meeting Gary, but I love you, and therefore automatically love anyone who is/was the "wind beneath your wings," as Gary was. :) I have enjoyed getting to know Gary through the stories of others, although I don't like the reason I had to get to know him this way instead of in person. Maybe some day, in the not-too-distant future (maybe a few decades), you'll have opportunity to introduce us. :) I love you and look forward to getting to see you again, and realize that I may have to share you with another 400-500 people. :) --Linda
Is the Merrill address still the right address for sending checks? --ls
Hi yes Gary's service was awesome..It was a wonderful tribute to a Godly man and honoring Jesus at the same time..His legacy lives on through each and every person he knew and came in contact with. I am so fortunate to have known him and to know his family..Prayers Pam
Having played that song with Gary pre & post cancer diagnosis... he had the same attitude with it either way. Dude meant every note he played... WOW. And Dawn... this is such an amazing picture of your heart. So much of these moments have us saying what an amazing guy Gary is... well, he obviously has quite an amazing wife. You are a blessing to this world! Thank you for sharing :)
Your response was a blessing Dawn. May God be with you in a very special way as you continue the journey. Continued prayers. Thank you for sharing your heart.
I love you all! You all are in my prayers!!!
Beautifully put..
Lifting you now, Dawn. So glad you were encouraged by the people at Gary's service and I'm asking that Father bring many more people across your path to encourage you - especially on the hard days. Asking that Father continue to give you peace and comfort and that He carry you when you need it. Also asking for sweet friends to process with. Love, Marcia
Dawn, just thinking that from Gary's perspective there is no more 'time.' He doesn't have to 'wait.' We have to wait awhile before we can experience his 'now.' We are saddled with this time restraint... but God can use this. Thinking that from Gary's perspective, he has never been apart from you. 2 Cor. 4:17: For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far out weighs them all.