In Memory Of Wendy-Marie Lewis Lappos

The rest of the passage describes Wendy perfectly. She was all that and more. The last couple of verses reveal her secret:

Charm can mislead, and beauty soon fades, but the woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the fear of God. Give her everything she deserves! Adorn her life with praises!

No one in this life could possibly reward her for all that she did for so many.

From the time we started dating at 16 until the day she passed—in church, of all places—I watched her selflessly care for others.

I saw her take in children whose parents couldn’t adequately raise them. I saw her buy gifts year after year, never forgetting anyone, always adding love, grace, and wisdom. I saw her distribute smiles and hugs with such genuine affection that anyone who received them knew they were loved.

I was amazed as she nursed her aging parents in their final days, showing the love of Jesus so profoundly that her father gave his heart to the Lord in the last moments of his life.

She longed for the same for her brother, Bruce, but, regrettably, never had the chance to complete that work.

Now, she is with her mom and dad—and the child we conceived in 1987 but lost. Well…not lost anymore.

People thought I was the tough one and that she was—as someone recently wrote—"the sweetest of spirits." And she was… most of the time.

But don’t be fooled—I was the soft one, and she was the bear. She would tell you the truth, whether you wanted to hear it or not, and she did so without mercy.

For fifty years, I had the privilege of being her proud husband, constantly amazed by the size of her heart and the vast horizon of talents she shared with everyone she could.

Her accomplishments could fill volumes of books. I was with her through every single one of them. If only I had half her heart, I would be a better man than I am.

In the last six years of her life, she decided to go back to school to refine her already immense talent for poetry, art, and graphic design—some of which is on display today.

But her greatest masterpiece was in the way she touched people’s lives and her deep love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you knew her, you know this to be true. If you didn’t know her well—take my word for it.

She was…she is…something special.

But she wasn’t perfect.

We tend to deify those we love after they pass, but Wendy would have none of that. Love covers a multitude of sins, so I will keep her faults to myself, because I love her, and I know she still loves me.

To close, I said earlier: No one in this life could possibly reward her for all that she did for so many. But now, she is receiving the reward she truly deserves—in the presence of the only One who could ever give her an equitable reward:

The Lord Jesus Christ.

As for me, I am very sad…but also happy.

Wendy was very sick—constantly in pain, her body bloated and swollen with inflammation, her eyesight fading. And yet, she kept working, serving, loving, and giving. She forced her arms and legs to move forward. She squinted through a collection of magnifying glasses—until her beloved Jesus said, “That’s enough.” And He stopped her enlarged heart.

Now, heaven is a whole lot sweeter for me. Because I know who’s waiting for me—

First, Jesus, whom I love and serve. And beside Him…

The Bear. Wendy Marie—who will surely give me the welcome of my life.

All I can say about her is what Jesus will surely say to her:

"Well done, good and faithful servant."

Thank you all.