Posted on 11/28/2020 2:04:53 AM PST by Jim Robinson
Dear FRiends, Arrangements have been made with Whitehurst, Sullivan. Burns and Blair to lay my beloved wife Sheila to rest at 1:30, Wednesday, December 2 at Fresno Memorial Gardens. It will be a small graveside service with friends and family.
We selected a site that is very near where my mother and father and sister Thelma are buried. It's a small plot, but there is room there for me, too, someday.
This is by far the hardest and most heartbreaking thing I've ever done. Sheila was the light of my life. She loved God, loved life, and she loved nature and God's church of the greater outdoors.
Sheila was born November 15, 1950 in Fresno, CA. to Eino and Ruth Kulju of Reedley, CA. She went home to our Lord, whom she loved very much, on November 18, 2020, just three days past her 70th birthday and five months and five days after we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary.
She grew up on a farm in Reedley where her father was foreman. As a little girl, she loved the freedom of farm life where she could climb trees and run barefoot with her dog through the orchards and vineyards. Her father grew a family orchard and garden in the yard of their home and she enjoyed plucking and eating juicy ripe peaches, plums and grapes fresh from the trees and vines and tomatoes, green onions and vegetables from the garden.
Her grandparents, Isaac and Katie Kulju, immigrated here from Finland sometime after the turn of the century--fleeing the Russians as the story goes. They settled and lived about 30 years on a farm on the west side of the Kings River, just north of the Manning Ave bridge that crosses over into Reedley. They were killed in 1937 on the way to church when their car was struck by a train.
Sheila was a patriot who loved America and loved freedom. We spent a large part of our last twenty years together traveling by van and RV, attending conservative events, rallies and protests from city to city and state to state. We ended up visiting every one of the contiguous 48.
We are laying her to rest dressed in one of her favorite patriotic shirts and hat and her stars and stripes earrings that she liked to wear to rallies. She'll also have her bible that was given to her by her Aunt Lina when she was in high school, and a flag she had hanging on the mirror of her dresser.
I thank God for the 50 loving years we shared together and our two wonderful sons He gave us.
...to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part... and thus we are parted, my dear Sheila, but through the grace of God, we shall meet again some glorious day.
Dear God, I love and miss her so. Always will.
Thank you all very much for your support, your love and your prayers.
God bless.
May her spirit soar free.
You have my heartfelt condolences. How hard it must be to lose a companion of 50 years! I’m so glad to know that she knew and that you know that death is not the end. There is another life in the Lord. You’ll enter through the narrow door and be reunited with her and Him.
Blessed be the name of the Lord!
May our good Lord continue to give you his love and solace with your loss. Thank you for sharing and stay strong JimRob, stay strong!
How beautiful your words are for you wife. I am sorry for your loss, but know she is sitting in the presence of our Lord. May you find peace and solace. Your FReeper family mourns your loss.
Thanks for sharing life of Sheila, your beloved. Condolences to you and your family.
Praying for you and your family now. God Bless you!
GOD Bless you Brother!
Beautifully written, Jim. What a great tribute.
So sorry for your loss.
Bon
Perfect tribute for a perfect marriage
Jim, I send my condolences. I am so saddened by your loss. God will give you peace that surpasses all understanding.
Sorry about your loss of your wife. Remember the great times you had. Prayers to your families...
God bless you, sir, and may He comfort you in the days to come.
Rest in peace and be welcomed with open arms by our Lord.
My prayers for you and your family. So thankful that you have such beautiful memories.
Thank you for sharing thesev wonderful memories of your wife. You two were truly blessed to have over 50 years together. I pray that during this time of grief, you will experience the peace that passes all understanding that only Jesus gives.
My deepest condolences Jim.
My thoughts and prayers are with your family.
I am so sorry for your loss. May God give you strength and comfort at this most difficult time.
God bless, JimRob. RIP, truly.
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