This morning I received the call that my friend Fred suffered a massive heart attack late last evening and had gone home to be with the Lord.
Fred was a retired Methodist minister who had been a regular attender at Warsaw Wesleyan since before I arrived as an Assistant Pastor. He and his wife Vera have been one of those weekly hand-shake visits that I look forward to, and Fred, as a retired minister would always talk to me about the church, about my areas of ministry and we shared a special friendship.
A few weeks ago Fred was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer and was placed in the care of a nursing home. I had the privilege of visiting Fred on Monday afternoon just this week and enjoyed my hour-long visit with Fred immensely. Before I left, I told Fred that it wouldn’t be the last time I came to visit him and on my way home I told Jess of my plans to go back weekly to spend time with Fred while I still had the chance. My heart is hurting that these opportunities will no longer be possible.
Fred told me that he was without any pain on Monday and when Pastor J and Dan Warren visited him on Tuesday he had the same attitude. I am thankful the Lord took him before any pain began to consume him.
I am sad to no longer have Fred here with us – and my heart aches for his dear wife Vera, but I am comforted in the fact that Fred is enjoying his new body in his glorious home with our Lord!
I will have a part in Fred’s funeral sometime in the next few days. I would appreciate prayers for my part in that service as I attempt to share from my experiences with Fred in the last 5-years. I would also ask that you remember his now-widowed wife, Vera as she deals with this new grief.
