Her name was Ira - a remarkable lady. She was active in all sorts of volunteer activities, but at 90, she started slowing down. Arthritis, hip surgery, shoulder surgery, back surgery, knee surgery -- all took their toll.

My secretary always mailed Ira the Sunday Bulletin first thing Monday Morning, and mailed her the Wednesday night Prayer list on Thursday Morning.

When I would visit Ira at her assisted living apartment, she would NEVER talk about her own pain or misery - but would ALWAYS ask "how's Ramona" (recovering from surgery) and "how's your wife" (also recovering from cancer) and anybody else on the prayer list. She knitted a wool cap for Ramona to wear around the house (Ramona had lost her hair due to chemo) and insisted that I give it to Ramona for her.

She was a prayer warrior - always asking for more information so she could more effectively pray for her Church family. A very gracious lady, and one you could easily describe as "elegant".

I suspect her body was working way too hard trying to heal from all the surgeries of late, because she just became more and more frail. Last Wednesday night, they took her to the hospital.

Thursday morning, her daughter called, and told me the doctors didn't think Ira would make it through the night. I was a little surprised. I didn't expect it to be this soon.

I hadn't planned on going to the office til later that day (it's 50 miles one way, and I had a late evening meeting that day) but there seemed to be a sense of urgency, so I left immediately. Ira was barely alert, and obviously having difficulty breathing. I told her I loved her, and that her Church family loved her, and I prayed over her. I stayed with the family at her bedside for about another hour, then told them I'd get a couple things done at the office, then come back later.

It wasn't 20 minutes her daughter called and said, "she's gone". A week after her 94th birthday, she passed quietly in her sleep, just like "Mom" I shared about in my previous thread in this forum.

The funeral was yesterday afternoon - a celebration of a long life of service to our Lord, and without exception, the testimony that "she never complained about herself, but was always asking about others, praying for them, and wanting them to know she loved them".

Two fantastic ladies gone to be with Jesus in just two weeks. Wow.