I have been away from my blog for a while. The last of my beloved grandparents, my maternal grandmother, Mrs. Margaret Lucile Williams Burdette, passed away this past week. The funeral service was held on Wednesday, June 15, 2011, at 11:00 AM in the Chapel of Mowell Funeral Home, Fayetteville, Georgia; and the burial followed at New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery in north Fayette County, GA. For my part, I was honored and privileged both to conduct her memorial service and to preach her funeral.
By the world’s standards, my grandmother may not have been considered a success. She never went to college. She never had a career. She never even worked a public job. In fact, she never actually had a driver’s license! She was just an old-fashioned, stay at home wife and mother.
Yet, in God’s eyes, what a tremendous success she was! For this humble and unassuming woman all but perfected the art of being a Godly wife and mother. I want to stress the fact that she gave up a career path to marry my grandfather. (She was offered a job at the County Courthouse in Fayette County, Ga in the midst of the Great Depression – security that many in that day would have all but died for. Yet, she turned this down to marry my grandfather.)
From this union, she birthed and reared seven children. From these came twenty-nine grandchildren, seventy-four great-grandchildren, and eventually twenty-five great-great-grandchildren! Wow!! How’s that for a legacy?!
In discussing the woman of noble character in Proverbs 31, King Lemuel says her husband praises her, and also that “her children arise and call her blessed…” (Verse 28). In Granny's case, indeed they did. The chapel was packed for her memorial service – most of which consisted of the huge family detailed above. The only real problem we had at the service was in getting those of her prodigy to limit themselves as they shared their memories and gave testimony to her influence.
For me, charged with delivering the actual eulogy, her life was best summarized by the statement of Jesus as remembered by Paul in Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Margaret Burdette spent a lifetime on earth in giving. As a pastor’s wife, she gave her time to her neighbor. As a wife and mother, she gave her love to her family. As a person, she gave her heart to her Savior. And now, she will spend an eternity receiving from her Blessed Savior. She will receive her eternal rest from a life of labor. She will receive her eternal reward for a life of sacrifice.
Best of all, she will now receive her eternal reunion – both with God and with her beloved friends and family. And so will we all, if we will but follow her example, and live a life that glorifies Jesus Christ!
Her Life Legacy (obituary) reads as follows (Source: http://www.mowellfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Mowell1/obit.cgi?user=399411Burdette):
Margaret Lucile Williams Burdette, 91, of Fayetteville, passed away on June 12, 2011. Mrs. Burdette was born in Fayette County, Georgia on August 17, 1919 to the late Earnest Bogan Williams and Sally Elizabeth Harris. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Preacher Chester W. Burdette; sisters, Dorothy Burdette and Kathleen Bray; brother Leonard Williams. She was survived by her children, Margie B. Taylor and her husband Robert of Fayetteville, Marguerite McCurry of Gainesville, GA, Helen C. Goodman and her husband Wendell of Fayetteville, Julia Goodpastor and her husband Robert of Blairsville, Chester Burdette, Jr. and his wife Vickie of Aledo, TX, Stephen Burdette and his wife Linda of Tallassee, AL, and Marylin Pullen and her husband Frank of Newnan; twenty-nine grandchildren; seventy-four great-grandchildren; twenty-five great-great-grandchildren; sisters Doris (Fred) Watson and Evelyn Williams, both of Fayette County; brother Earnest B. (Carol) Williams, Jr. of Fayette County; nieces and nephews.
By the world’s standards, my grandmother may not have been considered a success. She never went to college. She never had a career. She never even worked a public job. In fact, she never actually had a driver’s license! She was just an old-fashioned, stay at home wife and mother.
Yet, in God’s eyes, what a tremendous success she was! For this humble and unassuming woman all but perfected the art of being a Godly wife and mother. I want to stress the fact that she gave up a career path to marry my grandfather. (She was offered a job at the County Courthouse in Fayette County, Ga in the midst of the Great Depression – security that many in that day would have all but died for. Yet, she turned this down to marry my grandfather.)
From this union, she birthed and reared seven children. From these came twenty-nine grandchildren, seventy-four great-grandchildren, and eventually twenty-five great-great-grandchildren! Wow!! How’s that for a legacy?!
In discussing the woman of noble character in Proverbs 31, King Lemuel says her husband praises her, and also that “her children arise and call her blessed…” (Verse 28). In Granny's case, indeed they did. The chapel was packed for her memorial service – most of which consisted of the huge family detailed above. The only real problem we had at the service was in getting those of her prodigy to limit themselves as they shared their memories and gave testimony to her influence.
For me, charged with delivering the actual eulogy, her life was best summarized by the statement of Jesus as remembered by Paul in Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Margaret Burdette spent a lifetime on earth in giving. As a pastor’s wife, she gave her time to her neighbor. As a wife and mother, she gave her love to her family. As a person, she gave her heart to her Savior. And now, she will spend an eternity receiving from her Blessed Savior. She will receive her eternal rest from a life of labor. She will receive her eternal reward for a life of sacrifice.
Best of all, she will now receive her eternal reunion – both with God and with her beloved friends and family. And so will we all, if we will but follow her example, and live a life that glorifies Jesus Christ!
Her Life Legacy (obituary) reads as follows (Source: http://www.mowellfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Mowell1/obit.cgi?user=399411Burdette):
Margaret Lucile Williams Burdette, 91, of Fayetteville, passed away on June 12, 2011. Mrs. Burdette was born in Fayette County, Georgia on August 17, 1919 to the late Earnest Bogan Williams and Sally Elizabeth Harris. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Preacher Chester W. Burdette; sisters, Dorothy Burdette and Kathleen Bray; brother Leonard Williams. She was survived by her children, Margie B. Taylor and her husband Robert of Fayetteville, Marguerite McCurry of Gainesville, GA, Helen C. Goodman and her husband Wendell of Fayetteville, Julia Goodpastor and her husband Robert of Blairsville, Chester Burdette, Jr. and his wife Vickie of Aledo, TX, Stephen Burdette and his wife Linda of Tallassee, AL, and Marylin Pullen and her husband Frank of Newnan; twenty-nine grandchildren; seventy-four great-grandchildren; twenty-five great-great-grandchildren; sisters Doris (Fred) Watson and Evelyn Williams, both of Fayette County; brother Earnest B. (Carol) Williams, Jr. of Fayette County; nieces and nephews.