This is a hand typed document written by Hazel. It contains Effie (Rhining) Henry’s obituary in a longer form than I have seen and I’m guessing Hazel’s eulogy for her, or perhaps just a private reflection on who she was. You can view the original document here and I have transcribed it below.
Who was Effie Henry? What did she do with her life? What made her special? For what will she be remembered? Here are my thoughts in answer to these questions.
Effie Henry was truly a woman of great faith in God, and His word. This verse comes to my mind: “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that is in thee also.” I am sure that this faith was her’s, and also her greatest desire for her family.
She loved her Lord, she loved her bible, she loved her church, she loved her family, and she loved her friends.
She loved her Lord. “Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” This she lived by. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God.” I John 3:1
She loved her bible. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” She took this seriously, and studied her bible faithfully. Truly, God spoke to her through His word. She knew the bible teachings, and understood it’s theology. Even though her eyesight was almost gone, she still read her bible daily, with the aid of a magnifying glass. She could recall almost any bible passage, even whole chapters, from memory.
She loved her church. She was always faithful in attendance, and in her service to the church. From my earliest recollection she taught a Sunday School class, and continued teaching throughout her life. In her last years she taught a class of women, who were seventy-five years of age and over. Many people came to know Jesus better because of her teaching and example.
She loved her family. She once told me that the worst thing that could happen to her would be to be separated from her family. She loved her Phoenix family dearly, but she tried to get back to Indiana every year to spend some time with us. If at all possible, she tried to be here when a granddaughter from Iowa, or a grandson from New York would be coming home so she could see them and their families. Birthdays, weddings, new babies, graduations, anniversaries, etc., were very important occasions to her, and she did her best to be on hand to help celebrate. Each one of her daughters, her sons-in-law, her grandchildren and their spouses, and her twenty-one great-grand children was an individual to her—the object of her love and prayers. She served us in many ways. She also mothered two other children who were always very special to her.
She loved her friends. How can one tell of the acts of friendship spanning eighty-four years? One of my childhood memories is of Mom staying all night with a sick neighbor; (this was before hospitals were so conveniently available), also, of the many people who stayed in our home temporarily, when they needed a friend. I recall one bereaved young husband who lived with us for about a year, later going to a Bible School, becoming a minister, and is still a strong Christian witness. To her, helping was a way of life.
Who knows how many of these quiet deeds are written in the Book of Life? One of her last concerns was that she wasn’t able to send cards to her old friends who were shut-ins or ill in nursing homes.
She was a woman who believed in prayer. We often said that she had a direct line to God, open at all times. She knew His promises and claimed them. “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” However, she would also add, “Not my will but thine be done.”
Who was Effie Henry? What did she do with her life? What made her special? For what will she be remembered? She taught us many things:
“Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful… enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Matthew 25:23
Effie Josephine Henry, 84 years of age, died at Phoenix Baptist Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona, May 27, 1978. Following services in Phoenix, she will be at the Burns-Kish Funeral Home, Munster, Indiana, with visitation. Wednesday, May 31, 2-4 P.M. and 7-9 P.M. Funeral services will be Thursday, June 1, at 10:30 A.M., at the Funeral Home, with burial at Elmwood Cemetery, Hammond, Indiana.
Mrs Henry was born in Beardstown, Illinois, October 16, 1893, the daughter of Lewis and Emma Rhining. On September 19, 1909, she was married to Albert Levi Henry, who died April 19,1954. She was a former resident of Hammond and Whiting, Indiana, but had lived in Phoenix for the past 29 years. She was a member of the First Southern Baptist Church, Phoenix.
Survivors are three daughters, Mrs Thomas (Mildred) Bearden of Phoenix, Arizona, Mrs Kenneth (Hazel) Hine of Chesterton, Indiana, and Mrs Joseph (Alberta) Coan of Valparaiso, Indiana, ten grandchildren (one deceased), twenty-one great-grandchildren; also Mrs Ed (Mildred) Whalen, of Cudahy, Wisconsin, and Kenneth Whitener, of Highland, Indiana.
NOTE: Mildred Whalen and Kenneth Whitener were special people to Mrs Henry. She cared for them when they were young and she always loved them.
(This poem-prayer was tucked inside our bible by Mom, and we found it after one of her visits.)
– Hazel Hine
A PRAYER
Dear Lord,
Just to be near thee
Day after day.
Just to walk with thee
All of the way.To hear your sweet voice say,
In the darkness, “Dear one,
I’ll never forsake you
Or leave you alone.”
