Bob Frederickson, the Moderator of our church and a beloved friend to everyone in the congregation and many, many people in town, died on Monday. At least 600 people attended the memorial service today which was held at Backus Community Center. The cross was created by Bob's daughter out of some of his cross-country skis.If ever there was someone who really lived by the Golden Rule, Bob certainly did. He was always ready to lend a helping hand or a listening ear or take a “coffee break.”
We could count on Bob to be in the church kitchen helping with the Easter Breakfast and the Mother’s Day Brunch. If you needed something he’d be the first to say, “I’ll get it.” One of the members of Faith United Church told me this week, “he was the kindest man I ever met.”
Bob was the only person I knew who had the tools for mounting pictures on a brick wall. When I came here 10 years ago I had two framed art prints by Fr. Edward Hays that I brought with me to hang in my office. I planned to collect them as they became available. I told Bob how my husband said he’d buy them for me but I’d have to get them framed. Bob drilled the holes and lined them up and said, “I hope you stay here long enough to fill the whole wall.” There are a total of six now and I think that’s all that will be released.
Have you ever had a glazed croissant with Bob? They’re definitely sinfully delicious! He would go to Canada to get them and bring them to work, or to someone’s house if there had been a death in the family, or even to church to share in the office.
He loved giving gifts as well. It might be his favorite round white Scotch Mints, or a bit of chocolate, or something that fit in with your favorite hobby—either something practical or a joke or maybe both. Sometimes he’d bring a cartoon or a story he thought you’d enjoy. He was always thinking about others.
Recently, Bob brought in a Plexiglas container, filled it with cough drops and put it out in the Narthex. He asked our office administrator to print up a sign that says, “Thou shalt not cough in church.” Bob, I promise to keep that container filled!
A couple times a year, often around Christmas, I get either a cold or allergies that have my voice sounding like it does today. Sometimes an embarrassing coughing fit interrupts the sermon. So several Christmas Eves ago Bob walked into the office before the service and handed me a little oblong box, wrapped in Christmas paper with a pretty red bow on top. He told me I should open it right then. Can you imagine what it was? I certainly had no clue, but it was quite the Christmas gift—a bottle of Buckley’s Cough Syrup! I’d never even heard of the stuff before, but he told me it comes from Canada and that it tastes pretty bad, but it works like a charm…
OK, so most cough medicine tastes pretty bad, right? You just have to do it quick and get it over with. So off I went to the kitchen, read the instructions, pinched my nose and gulped down a whole TABLEspoon of Buckley’s in one swallow. And I thought I was gonna die!! It was like drinking Vick’s Vapo-rub—or worse! Bob had a good chuckle over the expression on my face when I came back upstairs. He said, “the reason it works is because it tastes so bad you don’t ever want to take it again so you don’t dare cough!”
Bob was always involved in Faith United Church. He was a reader, served on committees, took his turn mowing the lawn, shoveling snow and checking on our troublesome roof. Most recently was our Moderator for the past year and a half until he started cancer treatments. When we needed grab bars and a new toilet, in the “Memorial Bathroom,” Bob made it happen. When one of the pews came loose not too long ago, Bob was lying on the floor a few days later bolting it back into place.
Certainly there is a special place in heaven that has been prepared for Bob! As Bob loved everyone he met, so God loves all God’s people, on a grander scale. We take comfort in Jesus’ words from John’s gospel, “…if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.”
The resurrection to new life is God’s generous and loving promise to all of us. And Jesus tells the disciples, “you know the way to the place where I am going.
Fortunately for most of us, we have that wonderful, brave “doubting Thomas,” who doesn’t hesitate to raise the critical questions that everyone else always wanted to know but was afraid to ask. Thomas says, “Geez, Jesus, we haven’t got a clue where you’re going, let alone how to get there! How can we possibly know the way?”
But it turns out the answer is simple—thanks for asking, brother Thomas! Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. All we have to do is follow him. And if we follow him we will know God. And when we know God we will want to live and love by the Golden Rule.
Bob’s was a life well-lived. We must now entrust him to God’s care, keeping our special memories tucked carefully inside our hearts. Jesus’ promise is for each of us, “where I am, there you may be also.” And it is the promise of the resurrection that gives us hope and comfort
Praise God for the gift Bob was to each of us! Praise God for God’s never-ending love for all of us! Praise God for loving arms to surround us in times like these! Praise God for memories! Praise God for this life and for the never-ending life to come! Praise God for faith and hope and love….!
Praise God! AMEN.
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