Ari Widener Memorial Service
Ari Widener Memorial Service December 9, 2017 (died December 5) Note: I did not know Ari Widener personally, but his parents were special friends of ours during both of our tenures in Wichita. Russ was head of the Music Department at Wichita State University. He taught our son Eddie to play the trombone when he was in grade school and served as our church’s choir director after my retirement. Maggie was in Bible study with Jan for many years. Obituary: Ari Alexander Widener was born…
Bill Howse Funeral Service
Bill Howse Funeral Service February 24, 2018 (died February 17) Note: Bill and Shirley Howse attended First Free Wichita when I was pastor the first time. Toward the end of my tenure, they moved to the panhandle of Texas, where they owned a huge ranch. We visited them there while pastoring in St. Louis. When we returned to Wichita in 2004, we discovered that Bill and Shirley had moved back as well and we renewed our friendship with them. After Shirley died and Bill moved…
Bill York Memorial Service
Bill York Memorial Service August 10, 2012 (died July 30) Note: Bill York and his wife Dee came to First Free in St. Louis rather late in our tenure there, but they became very close friends to Jan and me, and they remained so even after we returned to Wichita. I was pleased to return to St. Louis for his funeral shortly after I retired. Message: I loved Bill York. Sadly, I only knew him the last two decades of his life, but almost…
Carol Castelli Funeral Service
Carol Castelli Funeral Service August 7, 2020 (died on Sunday, August 1) Note: I met the Castelli family in October of 1972 and they soon became life-long friends. I was their pastor for ten years in the 70’s and 80’s and again from 2004 until I retired in 2011, but they continued to treat me as their pastor. I also officiated at Harry’s funeral on October 1 of 2022. Obituary: Carol Castelli, 89, loving wife, mother and grandmother and friend of many died August…
Charles Brazeal Funeral
Charles Brazeal Funeral November 10, 2008 (died November 6) Note: In my 50 years of church ministry, no one ministered to me personally as much as Charles Brazeal. He was the single most supportive lay leader during my two decades in St. Louis, and his death was a huge personal blow, coming as it did less than two years after my father’s passing. Opening remarks: We are gathered here today to pay tribute to a very good man, but more than that to…
Don Hill Funeral Service
Don Hill Funeral Service March 3, 2012 (Died February 26) Note: Don Hill was perhaps the most gifted layman I ever worked with. He was Elder Chairman and Church Chairman of First Free in Wichita longer than anyone else. He was our church lawyer, my personal lawyer, and a dear friend. Obituary: Donald E. Hill, 61, attorney with Adams Jones Law Firm, went to be with the Lord on February 26, 2012. A private family burial will be held. Memorial services 3:00 pm, Saturday, at…
Doug Schaible Funeral
Doug Schaible Funeral October 16, 2020 (death on October 11) Note: Doug Schaible and his wife Cheryl, missionaries with New Tribes Mission, became active members of First Evangelical Free Church in Wichita when Doug left tribal work to recruit new missionaries from Bible colleges and seminaries in the states. Welcome: I want to welcome you this morning to a celebration of the life of Doug Schaible. First, let me express the gratitude of the Schaible family for the outpouring of love they have…
DOROthy Watkins Funeral
Dorothy Watkins Funeral April 27, 2018 (died April 19) Note: Dorothy was the closest thing to a mother I experienced other than my own dear Mother. She was a widow the entire 50 years I knew her, a godly woman who loved God’s Word like few others. She also served as receptionist at First Free in Wichita for many years. Welcome: welcome all of you to this celebration of the life of Dorothy Watkins, a dear mother, grandmother, great grandmother, church member, friend, and…
Gary Martin Service
Gary Martin Service Monday, February 25 (died February 20, 2013) Note: Gary and Diane Martin were faithful members of First Free Wichita during both of my tenures there. Obituary: W. Gary Martin, 71, Allstate Insurance agent, died Feb. 21, 2013. He was preceded in death by father, William H. Martin. Survivors include wife, Diane; sons, Jeff Martin of Wichita and Eric Martin of Milford, NE; mother, Betty Martin of Wichita; grandchildren, Lauren Martin, Carlie Martin, Garrett Martin, Austin Martin and Justin…
George Fooshee Funeral
George Fooshee Funeral August 19, 2022 (died on August 12) Note: George Fooshee was a member of First Evangelical Free Church for over 40 years. He and his wife Marjean were a tremendous asset to our congregation, discipling and counseling scores of people to become financially free and to walk with Jesus. Obituary: George Trewitt Fooshee Jr. met his Savior in glory at 92 years old on Friday morning, August 12, 2022. Beloved husband, father, grandfather, and 13 times adoring great grandfather, left…
Harold M. Scheer Funeral
Harold M. Scheer Funeral February 6, 2016 (died, January 29) Note: Harold Scheer was my dentist the entire time of our first pastorate in Wichita. He never charged me or my family a dime for his excellent service! He was also a friend and a faithful member of the church. But he was far more than that, as you can see from reading his obituary below. Obituary: Dr. Harold McIlvain Scheer, a kind, Renaissance gentleman, knowledgeable in Dentistry, the Arts, mechanics, history, Christian doctrine and…
Harry Castelli Funeral
Harry Castelli Funeral October 1, 2022 (died September 23) Note: I met Harry Castelli in October of 1972, when I first preached at First Evangelical Free Church in Wichita. His family lived in Andover, not far from where Jan grew up. He and his wife Carol, who joined the church in the early 60’s, became good friends during my first tenure as pastor, and that relationship only deepened when we returned to the church in 2004. I would count Harry as one of my…