Someone You Should Know

This is the time of year when many media outlets and publications compile a list of celebrity memorials. It is an annual reminder of the who’s who that died in the previous twelve months. The lists are often crowded with persons of fame, fortune, or outrageous behavior. It is a list that I find oddly juxtaposed against the celebration of Christ’s birth - an event of incomprehensible humility. It is in that spirit of humility that I want to tell you about the passing of a friend – a dear friend who would never have made such a list.

Much of Alice Marler’s story was well behind her when I first met her about ten years ago, so I do not profess to know all about her life. That is a privilege left to her husband, children, and in-laws. There are, however, some details that I am uniquely qualified to share with you, and share I will.

God introduced Alice into my story at the tail end of a dark spiritual season in my life. I had not been to church in three years, yet there I was standing outside her Sunday school room dropping off my two youngest children. By “dropping off,” I mean I peeled them off of their mother’s legs, pushed them through the door, and quickly shut the door behind them. Later when the service was over, my two children did not want to leave! I remember Alice laughing and saying, “I love your kids. Oh, and I love you too.” She meant it, and much to my surprise I believed her. It felt safe to be in church. I looked forward to seeing her on Sundays because I could see in her eyes that she was genuinely glad to see my family and I. We weren’t some God-project to her. We were real people, and she had an authentic affection for us. It was an unconditional affection that I hadn’t felt in a church setting in a long, long time! God, through Alice, made it clear that First Church was to be our church home in that new season of our lives.

I am reminded of Alice when I read the following scripture:

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight with each other. (Romans 12:9-10, emphasis mine)

Over the years I watched Alice delight in a whole host of people, even as her health failed. I saw her hold tightly to what is good. Even as she lay in a hospital bed, unable to communicate with her family and friends, I am convinced (because God told me) that she was praying for her family, friends, and the church.

It is a daunting task to write a resume, an even more difficult task to write a tribute. There is much about Alice that I would like you to know, and fitting words and descriptions are lacking. I want people to know that this side of eternity is poorer because she was called home, and not because she was famous, wealthy, or behaved outrageously – she wasn’t and didn’t. I want you to know about her because she was a person who loved well; Alice Marler loved with the love of Christ.

That kind of love made my family and me different. That kind of love will make you different too.

Grace to you.

Dave Paukner