Mom's Gone to be with Jesus

It was very sudden, but on January 7, 2008... her heart stopped and Mom went to be with Jesus.

The following is a copy of the eulogy I gave at her funeral:


What can I say about our mom? How do I condense 57 years of a person’s life into just a few short minutes? How do I accurately portray the woman she was, to so many people who have been touched by her life? These are some of the questions that ran through my mind when I was asked to speak to you today.

I stand before you now, on behalf of my family, to share with you some memories in celebration of the life of our mother, Heather Ramsay, or as many of you know her… Madame Ramsay.
1 Corinthians 9:24 says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”

I chose to share this verse with you because I believe it sums up the way my mom lived her life. When I think of her, I remember how she was always running. Everyone who knew her, knew she couldn’t sit still for more than a second. It didn’t matter if she was at school, church, home or the grocery store… she didn’t walk… she ran - but she always ran toward something - never from anything. She faced every situation head-on, with a strength that can only come from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Mom lived for Jesus. She made Him her focus each day. She began her day by reading her Bible and praying through her lengthy prayer list. Her place at the dinner table was always crowded with her Bible, daily devotional, and of course, her prayer list.

I have never known another woman who prayed so faithfully for so many people. I know there are many of us in this room today, who have received a note or card of encouragement from our mom. It never mattered how busy she was, she always made the time to write a short note to let someone know that she was praying for them - and it made a difference because she was praying. Sometimes, it was those words of encouragement and those prayers that got us through a difficult situation. She was a second mom to many people and a faithful and loyal friend to so many more. She always had an ear to listen and never hesitated to go the extra mile for someone in need.

I remember a time when I was in the car with mom, and we got a flat tire. It was late at night and all the gas stations were closed, but when we pulled in to one of them, we were so blessed that one of the workers at the gas station was still there and was willing to change our tire for us. It was pouring rain and he was finished his shift and not obligated to help us, but he did anyway. Mom was so grateful for his help that she returned a few days later with a hand-made baby blanket for his wife, who was expecting and she even wrote a letter of gratitude to his boss, who ended up giving him a raise as a result. Of course, mom also gave the man a nice card, and shared the love of Jesus with him.

This is the way mom was. She shared the love of Jesus with everyone, wherever she went, but her faith was much more than just words. She lived her life to glorify God. She was a woman of integrity who lived what she preached. She had experienced the overwhelming joy and peace that comes from a heart surrendered to Christ, and she wanted nothing more than for everyone else to experience the same.

She was many things to many people, and both an inspiration and encouragement to all who knew her. She endured a lot of difficulties in her life, but she didn’t give in to self-pity. She chose to focus on her blessings and to thank God for all He had done for her. She trusted in Him for strength. She chose to live a life full of joy and I know we can all testify to her exuberant energy.
There were many things about mom’s life that were very predictable. She was sure to capture every event on camera - whether you were ready for it or not, her car went in the ditch almost every winter, and she always got lost when driving to a new place. Many times, someone would mention a small town in Ontario, and mom would say, “Oh, I know where that is…. I got lost there once!”

I’m told that several years ago, when mom was driving somewhere down south in the states, she was pulled over by a very irritated police officer. When the officer asked her why she hadn’t pulled over immediately when he flashed his lights behind her, and why she had waited until his sirens were blaring, before she pulled over… mom replied with tears in her eyes, “I’m very sorry officer. I thought it was a snow plough behind me. In Canada, only snow ploughs have flashing blue lights.”

Of course, the story of mom’s life would not be complete without mentioning her love for children. She poured a large part of her life into the children at the AWANA program at Forest Baptist Church and also into her students at Temple Christian Academy, where she taught French for almost ten years. I think her favourite days were the ones with dress-up themes, and she would literally buy items for her costume months in advance and look forward to the ’special day’ when she could wear them to school.

Separation is something that is always difficult to accept and even harder to deal with, but we are so comforted to know that our mom is not only at peace, but that she is in the loving arms of our Lord Jesus. One of my nephews says that in his mind, Nana’s always had a free pass to Heaven. He says it’s like she had a swipe card, so that when she died, she’d just swipe her card and the gates of Heaven would open to receive her. I suppose that’s what salvation is. Yes, it’s admittance into Heaven, but as mom so clearly understood… Salvation is so much more than just ‘fire insurance.’ It’s about receiving Christ’s forgiveness for our sins and making a decision every day to live for Jesus, instead of ourselves. It’s about enjoying a relationship with Him.

Mom believed this and lived it out in her actions. It is so rare to meet someone who has been so faithful to God for so many years, and we are so honoured to say that we are her family and so grateful that we have had the opportunity to spend so many years learning from her example.
It is our prayer that her legacy will live on in us as we strive to grow deeper in our relationships with Jesus Christ as we reach out to those around us in love. Thank you.