One Life Lived – Many Lives Touched

One Life Lived – Many Lives Touched. These words were printed on the cover a sympathy card that I received after my wife died. It was sent by someone who had been a student in her sixth grade classroom over twenty years ago. I believe it accurately summarized Jeanne’s life. The inside of the card added these words – Your loss will be felt by many hearts.

This was evident when almost 500 people attended her Celebration of Life service in southern California. In addition many more came to services in Scottsdale and Tucson. Jeanne touched the lives of many children, teens and adults throughout her life.

The notes and sympathy cards reflected this theme as well. People shared how Jeanne had touched their lives in many different ways. She hosted wedding showers and baby showers. She opened our home to neighbors and church friends. We often had extra people at a holiday dinners who did not have family in the area. She had a special love for widows and liked to invite them to join us for dinner at a special restaurant on Valentine’s Day. She sent meals to widowers who were isolated and discouraged during the Covid19 pandemic.

She also loved children and enjoyed teaching their Sunday School class at church. She made Sunday School fun and made an extra effort to help new students feel welcome and comfortable in her class. She also made her sixth grade Social Studies class at Chaparral Middle School interesting with special hands-on activities like creating an archaeological dig on the school campus and embalming chicken legs when they studied Egypt.

Adults were also impacted by Jeanne’s life. She taught a Women’s Bible study class at our churches in Diamond Bar and in Tucson. She also led a Cancer Support group in our home for many years to encourage men and women dealing with the disease.

There is a passage in the Bible where the Apostle Paul said followers of Christ were the living proof of his ministry and message. He said, “Your lives are a letter anyone can read by just looking at you. Not letters written with ink but lives that have been changed by God’s Spirit. (Second Corinthians 3:2-3 the Message Bible). Let me encourage you to use your life and abilities to serve God and encourage others. You never know how your one life can touch many others. As the card said, “One life lived – many lives touched“.

You can read more stories about Jeanne’s life in Mark’s book – Let Me Encourage You by Mark Hopper. The price is only $20 plus $5 postage. Order your copy today at markh@efreedb.org.