She was 98. A long lifetime, by any measure. Unfortunately, it was no surprise to us when my husband’s grandmother passed away a few weeks ago. We knew that she had not been doing well in recent weeks. We got the news of her death as we were packing for our vacation. Our vacation destination was to be the very place where she had made her home and raised a family, even helped to found a church.
I really hadn’t known Grandma Gates as well as I would have liked. I met her a few years before she left the Bedford area to live with my husband’s aunt and uncle in York, PA. But the times that I did get to spend with her, they always stick out in my memory. I remember a joyful lady. She made others laugh and smile. She would always tell me that her name, Olga, meant “holy”. Now who can forget a name like that?! And of course, I heard all of my husband’s wonderful memories of her!
My husband told me of what a great cook she was. He reminisced about fun summers spent at her house and strawberry picking in the field behind her home. He told me of her hard working nature, how she took on the tough job of waitressing at some of Breezewood’s most popular restaurants. He shared with me how his Grandma and Grandpa Gates were founding members of the church my in-laws attend to this very day.
At her funeral, I was struck by how evident her love for Jesus was. Her faith in God was the cornerstone of her legacy. There was no doubt about where her heart stood. I sat in the pew and listened to the lovely words each person had to say. It dawned on me that each and every person mentioned her deep faith. She loved Jesus and everyone who ever came into contact with her knew it.
As we ended the day with a good, old fashioned meal in the church’s fellowship hall (Oh the ham, the side dishes, the DESSERTS!) all I could think was what a wonderful legacy Grandma Gates had left behind. She lived out her faith each and every day. Singing “Jesus Loves Me” until her last days. And I thought to myself, “Lord, I want that to be me. I want to be remembered for how much I loved Jesus.”
No matter what curveballs life threw her way, Grandma Gates remained steady in her faith. She passed it down from generation to generation. And that is my prayer today, “Lord, let that also be my legacy as well…”
“I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.” 2 Timothy 1:5 (NLT)
“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…” – Anna Bartlett Warner
Post by: Marcy Gates
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