The Courts Family

 

Marcia Eads - Eulogy

 

Brief Background

Who would have known one of the most generous and most caring people this world may ever know would be born in the small town of Marathon, Oh. Mom was born on August 20, 1938 to Donald and Mildred Morgan.

Second child, first Lee Morgan...14 years later came Donna Lynn. (We just gave away Donna's age… oh well) And at age 14, mom would frequently get up at night to feed her and rock her back to sleep.

Mom spent much of her time with her Aunt Ethel and Uncle Hugh Davidson. Many of you would remember the big house on main street where they lived. Mom thought very highly of them both and often talked about them and what they meant to her. There is a letter from friends of the Davidson's that summed it up and I'd like to read it to you. (I have that letter)

In 1956, at the age of 18, mom received a scholarship to attend Ohio University. She went for 1 semester and returned home to care for her Aunt Ethel who had taken sick. That same year, 1956, mom married Gene Courts. They were married on Dec. 22, 1956 in Williamsburg, OH

Aunt Ethel finally passed away 1962. One of the interesting people Mom met at this time was Miss Gepheart, Aunt Ethel's nurse. (Expound here when talking.)

In 1963 the first of her 3 boys, Todd Davidson, named after her Aunt and Uncle, was born in Williamsburg, OH. Bari Lee was born on November 12, 1966 and Darren Thomas was born on September 16, 1968. Darren was suppose to be a girl.

In 1981, mom married her current husband Robert Eads, and inherited 4 additional children in Rob, Patty, Kenny, and Chris.

In 1986, Bari graduated from HS and went to Kenyon College. That same year mom welcomed in her adopted 4th son, Floyd Walker. In true spirit, Floyd and I had become close friends in HS and through some untimely incidents in Floyd's life, I remember mom and Bob sitting me down saying that they would like to open up their house for Floyd to live with us for the next 2 years. Of course I said yes, and I think Floyd will tell you that act of generosity probably saved his life. Bari - remind me to tell you what mom did with the money the state sent her to help out with Floyd. Great Story, but not sure how to tell it.

But Floyd was not the only resident of Mom and Bob's home. Others to live there for a summer or longer included both kids and grandkids. No one was ever turned down.

Darren.. you handle up to here, then I finish up.

There is a significant decision Mom made that tells much about her.

When she needed to return to the work force to help support 3 active, growing boys, she choose real estate as a profession in order to maintain the flexibility in her schedule to help her kids. She had no prior sales background, very little education, and had been out of the workforce for years. Yet, not only did she choose real estate as a profession, she excelled at it.

But her hard work and endless sacrifice never translated into material things for herself. All the money she made went to keep her kids active in sports and other events. When we were growing up, we were never told we could not afford to do a camp or sport or even a vacation. She simply found a way to get us what we wanted.

Some great older memories of times with Mom…
She taught Sunday school at Williamsburg Methodist Church.
She would play baseball with us in the front yard and also would sub in as a catcher in the game we played for hours called "Pickle".
Days at the Ridge Club - a swimming pool in Batavia
Our vacations to California and Natural Bridge

Some more recent memories include…
Family vacations to Gatlinburg, Hilton Head, and Nashville, Indiana
Christmas at Mom's
Countless games of euchre

(I am still debating this paragraph) A more recent memory was last year. My mother spent as many hours as I did working on my PhD. She was the chief proof reader and APA format person. It was a thankless job, but she did it without ever complaining. She found out about her cancer near the end of my degree and she desperately wanted to see me finish before she passed away. When the time came for my graduation, she had gotten fairly ill, but despite her illness, she insisted on making my graduation in California. She struggled with the travel and heat of California and she had to wear a hat to hide the fact her hair had fallen out. But the most vivid memory is the tears coming to my eyes as I handed her my degree that day. It meant the world to her.

Mom was always available to help anyone out. Most of you sitting out there today probably have a story where she helped you out in some way, and you likely did not even has to ask her to do it. There was never a request she turned down, and every member of our family knew that she was the person to turn to when times got a little rough.

As everyone knows, her family and friends meant everything to Mom.

As we finish up, I would like Todd to join Darren and I … and on behalf of Todd, Darren, and myself,

We would like to thank her friends and expended family … she appreciated your friendship more than she could ever express.

We would like to thank her 12 grandchildren who the center of her world for most of the last ten years.

We would like to thank Bob for being a great step-father and supportive spouse. You effort in caring for Mom these last two years with her illness has incredible.

And finally, Mom… today is the day to say one last thank you.
Thank you for being the best example of a caring person anyone could ever ask for. We can only strive to live up to the example you have set for us.
And thank you for being our mother. We love you. And we will miss you terribly.

Service of Death
And
Resurrection
Marcia Eads
July 3, 2007

PRELUDE
GATHERING

THE WORD OF GRACE

GREETING

PRAYER OF CONFESSION AND PARDON (unison)
Holy God, before you our hearts are open, and from you no secrets are hidden.
We bring to you now our shame and sorrow for our sins.
We have forgotten that our life is from you and unto you.
We have neither sought nor done your will.
We have not been truthful in our hearts, in our speech, in our lives.
We have not loved as we ought to love.
Help us and heal us, raising us from our sins into a better life,
that we may end our days in peace, trusting in your kindness unto the end; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

OLD TESTAMENT

PSALM 23

NEW TESTAMENT

EPISTLE LESSON
James 1:2
Ephesians 4:13

GOSPEL LESSON

SPECIAL MUSIC SELECTION -- Cara Courts (Granddaughter)
"Amazing Grace"

MESSAGE A Time Season for Everything ……………. Rev. Randy Lowe
Proverbs 31:10-31, John 14 selected verses

MOMENT OF REFLECTION

EULOGY/WITNESS -- Sons Bari and Darren Courts

LORD'S PRAYER ---------"OUR FATHER" (unison)

PRAYERS

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

DISMISSMAL WITH BLESSING

RECESSIONAL

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Gene Courts - Eulogy

 

Spoken by Bari

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Spoken by Lesley

Gene and his 3 boys came into my mother's, Lori and my life in 1981 just a few years after we had lost our dad very suddenly. My mother losing her husband, and my sister and I our dad, was a difficult scenario to say the very least. In spite of the challenge the 3 of us managed to create a life for ourselves. I can speak for myself when I say that after such a significant event I had no need for any other man to enter into our lives, and very felt protective of my mom and sister at my ripe young age of 10 yrs. Then one day this man, Gene Courts, walked into our home with a smile and positive energy that could not be missed. So what did I do? Kept my head down and refused to say hello. My sister being a little older and more cordial handled the meeting much better. I guess my behavior did not scare Gene away because he kept coming back. And thank God he did because Gene Courts was the greatest ending to what started out as a tragic story. Gene and his boys, Todd, Bari and Darren, accepted Lori and I as their sisters and we all grew to appreciate and love each other very much. Gene was never afraid to raise us as his own, not even through our teenage years. He set clear rules and could even be pretty tough at times.

Gene's expectations were high for not only himself but for his children as well. We learned early to rise to the occasion and appreciate the sophistication of his influence. Gene introduced us to so many cultural events that often included music, food and travel. By the time we were teens we thought everyone sat at a formal dining table every night with candles lit, a variety of culinary delights and of course great music in the background. I had gotten so spoiled with my meals that in high school I would stay home on a Friday night to eat a nice grilled salmon dinner and then go out with my friends because why in the world would I eat a fast food meal when I had all of this wonderfulness going on in my house!
Gene having come from humble beginnings to rise to the 'Chairman of the Board' in everything that he did was no accident. This is what my husband adored and respected about Gene the most, as did many. Lori and I have been so grateful our entire lives for having Gene come into our lives and adding the level of stability that he gave us. It truly has been the greatest gift either of us have ever been given.

As Gene began to have grandchildren it was very clear how much he enjoyed having the kids in his home. We were always welcomed to come over with our kids and he looked forward to sharing himself with each of his grandkids. After my mom and Gene's move to Florida he especially loved sharing that world with us. My family was lucky enough to have had many, many special times in Florida with Gene. We all knew we were creating long-lasting, special memories. Gene made a deep impression on his grandkids and will no doubt be remembered by even the youngest of them.

 

 

Gene was a very thoughtful and purposeful man. He spent time in his office in the evenings not only taking care of his business and enjoying a ball game or two (or 3), but also taking the time to ponder his next decision or stage in life. As I moved into adulthood and spent time with him as a mother of small children he never hesitated to share his thoughts on both his life and mine, and often gave me guidance. Gene was the person to reach out to when you needed rational, intelligent advice. I know moving forward this will be a personal void in my life, yet I find comfort in knowing that I will forever carry with me his influence. I hope each of you finds this comfort as well.

There are so many stories that I would love to share about Gene, but there is one recent story that must be told as we all make our attempts to come to terms with his passing. Gene and I one Sunday afternoon took off in the car and headed to the garden store to look for flowers for my yard. Gene and I visited garden stores together often and it was fun for me because every time we pulled into the parking lot he would tell me how he felt like a kid in a candy store. I loved seeing that joy in him. After our nice trip looking at flowers Gene said that he had another place he would like to take me. I didn't ask were we were going but simply agreed because after all it was a beautiful day and we were really enjoying this time together. As it turned out Gene drove us that day to Vine St. Hill Cemetery. We paid a visit to my dad Richard, as well as other relatives that lie close by. We found ourselves side by side looking out over the hill. Gene said he had something to talk with me about. He let me know that 30+ yrs. Ago he was not comfortable thinking about himself in the one of the 4 plots owned by my mother and resting so close to Richard. But now that so many years have passed, and having raised us girls, he ensured me that he was comfortable with the beautiful view on the hill. And was at peace being near Richard. He did make me promise however that one day my mother, Joyce, would reside next him. I of course agreed to his wishes and we both paused and took in the moment. Gene's aneurysm occurred just three days later.
A dear friend of mine sent me a passage after she learned of Gene's passing that I feel is relevant and powerful. I would like to end with these words.

Death Is Nothing At All
By Henry Scott-Holland

Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened.

Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.

Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity. What is this death but a negligible accident?

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner.

All is well. Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before. How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

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Eulogy of Mildred Catherine Moon Courts

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Dear Family and Friends of Mildred Catherine Moon Courts This is not a time for grieving, but rather a time for joy. All of you know Mother is in a better place. She has gone to meet her Lord, her husband, her parents, 3 sisters and a brother. Last Friday morning when I went to see her in Mercy Hospital she was jabbering in letters, not words, speaking faster than usual when I said to her "Mother, I'm here!" and she replied "Oh Daddy, you've finally come to get me". Even then, she knew where she was going.My sister Rita reminded me that Mother was an excellent speller and could quote the alphabet backwards just as fast as she could forward. She worked crossword puzzles up until the last couple of years. I guess that explains speaking in letters, rather than words.

Mildred Catherine was the second of six children of Elmer and Emma Stratton Moon. She was in the 10th generation from James and Joan Burgess Moon, Quakers who came to Bucks County, PA from Bristol, England in 1682, the same year that William Penn made his first trip to the New World. In the early 1800's the Moon Family moved to Martinsville, OH, just a few miles south of Wilmington, and so began their history in Brown, Clinton, and Highland Counties in Ohio. Mother's great-great-great grandparents Joseph B., Ann Brown Moon, and great-great grandparents Samuel and Martha Routh Moon are buried in the cemetery behind the Newberry Friends Church in Martinsville.

Her great grandparents David and Margaret Smith Moon are buried in the cemetery alongside the church at Five Mile, just a few miles from here. Her grandparents Leonard and Lavina Kennedy Moon are buried in Buford, OH cemetery and her parents Elmer and Emma Stratton Moon are buried in the Mt. Orab cemetery. Mother and a number of us have visited those gravesites over the years. Mother's sister Blanche Bowen passed away in 1981; sister Violet McKinney died later the same year. Her sister Doris Mathews died in 1991, and her brother Carl Moon passed away in November 1998. I can tell you that Mother was affected by the losses of her sisters, but the loss of Carl hit her especially hard. She was weaker by then and we could all tell that she had a 'turn for the worse' shortly thereafter. Her brother Paul Moon, wife Betty and Carl's widow Hazel Moon are with us today, they are the remaining members of Mother's generation.

Mother married Lynn M. Courts in 1939 and set up housekeeping in a small home on Hamer Road between Brownstown and Georgetown, OH. Lynn was drafted into the Army late in WWII and when he returned in 1945, they moved into the old Mt. Orab hotel apartments. Soon thereafter, they bought a farm near Bardwell that became the site for many family get-togethers of all the brothers and sisters and their families. There were 18 cousins to have fun with, and only 1, Dean Wylie, has passed on. Many of the cousins are with us today.

Mildred named her son Milton Eugene, but always called him Gene. I felt the love of my Mother, through good times and bad, she was always there for me. Rita Carolyn came along in 1946, she loved having a little girl and it was fun being big brother to my little sister. We moved back to Mt. Orab again in 1954 and her father Elmer Moon died in 1955 in Alpine, TN where he had gone to build and open new churches. Her Mother Emma Stratton Moon died in Mt. Orab in 1976 after a long illness and my Mother has had a very similar pattern leading to her death this week. Mother worked at Cahall's Department Store in Mt. Orab for nearly 30 years and knew everyone in town. When her husband Lynn Courts died suddenly in 1970, Mother lived the last 30 years of her life enjoying this church (where she belonged for nearly 50 years), her Women's Club, Grace Circle and her ever popular Bingo Club. Many of you know that Mother was the town's seamstress, she could sew most anything, including wedding dresses, coats, pants, and hemmed all my suits up until a couple of years ago.

But the real love of her life was seeing her 2 kids get their education, grow into adults, marry….and then came the grandkids. I had 3 boys, Todd, Bari, and Darren, and Rita and Dave Potrafke had Karyn and Mike. Mother would baby-sit those grandkids anytime for us, sometimes for a week or more at a time. I don't remember a time that she could not come to stay with my boys; I'm sure Rita felt the same way. When I married Joyce Carroll in 1982, my boys gained 2 stepsisters, Lori and Leslie, and Mother never missed including them in with the other grandkids. Now the grandkids have grown up, gotten their education, married and the great-grandkids are coming along. Bari and Carolyn have Matt and Cara, Darren and Heather have Jordan, Karyn and Jimmy have Brittany and twins Emma and Ashley, Mike has Brady, and Leslie and Matt have Hunter with another on the way. When the twins were born prematurely 3 years ago, Mother loved holding those tiny babies and rocking them to sleep. She loved her great-grandkids just as if they were her own children, I just hope some of them are old enough to remember her.

That brings us to the present time where Mildred Catherine Moon Courts was a well-loved daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was well known in this village and had many friends who have generously sent flowers and /or donations to the church in her honor. She will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her. The family thanks you for paying your final respects to a fine lady. I would like to close my part of this service by reading an "Irish Blessing" to my mother:

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

May the rain fall soft upon your fields,

And until we meet again,

May He hold you in His hands,

May God hold you in the palm of His hands.

Thank You.