While the family is gathered celebrating Elsie's life and her passing into
the presence of the Lord, and since I am, regretfully, unable to be with you
for this memorial I'm thinking of many of my experiences with her.
 Since Elsie was already a year old when I was born, we did a lot of things
together and I'm sure there were many times when she wished that she didn't
have to deal with this tag-along sister. Rarely did she say anything about
this.  As we got older I often wished I could be more like her.  Her
ability to make friends and enjoy life.

The earliest memory I have is from our time living in "Grandpa's House", by
the cemetary at Tadmor.  Elsie or one of the other siblings would lead the
way through the crawl space under the eaves from one end of the house to
the other, in one closet and out the other.  No windows, hot with no
ventilation, and scary!

Elsie and I shared a double bed from the time before I can remember until
our Sophomore year of high school.  For the most part it was o.k.  The
problem was when we were very young, in admitting who had wet the bed.  Of
course each thought the other had done it... again, even though it wasn't
too had to tell when it was on your side.  Dealing with that in a cold,
wintertime, unheated bedroom was not a fun matter for us, or for Mama.  (By
high school days this was no longer a problem. :-)

Asthma was a big part of her life.  When we lived at Faith Bible Academy,
in the second room of our little house,Daddy built a double bunk bed, on
the top of which Elsie and I slept.  Sam and John used the bottom bunk.
 Very frequently her asthma would flare up during the night.  The only
thing that seemed to help was for Daddy to drive her up the hill to Roach
where the air seemed better for her.  Later when we returned and moved to
the Wesco house Dad learned of a homeopathic concoction to be smoked in
cigarette or pipe fashion for the relief of asthma attacks.  Since
cigarettes were verboten, a corn-cob pipe it was.  She usually went into
the bathroom to smoke in private.  Did it help?  Just what was in this mix
that she smoked?  Could it have been what today is the so greatly debated
weed?  We;ll never know jut what our father got his daughter involved in.

One other thing about her "asthma attacks".  They so often came on
Saturdays, which just happened to be cleaning day at the Wesco house.  This
meant that we other 3 older girls had to do her work.  Yes, she admitted
years later that there were occasions when she took advantage of us.
 However I'm sure the problem of dust and asthma was greater for her than
the extra bit of work we had to do.

Going to a one room school house meant we could follow along with what the
other classes were learning.  When Elsie was in third, and I in the second
grade,  I simply listened in while the teacher was dealing with her class.
 By the end of the year I was jumped up to grade 4 along with Elsie.  This
meant that we went all through high school in the same class.  Since the
grade school teachers were expected to teach only 6 grades each year, that
meant alternating between the upper 4 grades each year.  In other words
each year grades 1-4 were taught in addition to either 5 & 7, or 6 & 8.
 Our class was on the "indirect" route.  After 4th grade we had the 6th
grade.  To further complicate things that next Summer was when the family
moved to Roach, MO on Lake of the Ozarks.  Camdenton Elementary as BIG!
 They taught all 8 grades every year, and we were expected to fit in.  We
needed grade 5 instruction.  However that class was too full, so we got to
take grade 6 a second time.  Then we moved back to the former school for
8th grade and graduated from the 7th.  So, here's what it looked like:
 grades 1-4, 6,6,8 and 7.  And we were the only 2 in our class.  This may
be the reason behind some of our strange behavior.

Swimming in Benton Creek was always fun.  Going there with the family for
bathing, washing the car on the slab.  Discovering how the last flood had
changed the course of the creek.  At some point it divided around a little
island that had grey clay for soil, which  being wet from the creek water,
made a wonderful medium to smear on your face and body.  Afterwards we'd go
underwater and do all those fun things kids like to do like making faces,
sometimes attempting to sit on the bottom and pretend a tea party.  Grandma
Gash had a special washed out hole where she liked to sit for her bath and
shampoo.  (What might modern-day environmentalists think, if they only
knew!)

During grade school in Wesco, Elsie was good at our recess and lunch time
games, whether it was dodge ball, foot races, or work-up softball. At
Steelville High School,  Elsie was part of the girl's softball team as well
as the basketball team.  She was tall, lean and well-coordinated,,. was a
good team player and well liked by all. She was also envied by her "little"
sister who was not so gifted in this arena.

The Summer of 1950 (I think) Bernadine Mellow asked Elsie to work at Tadmor
as her assistant cook.  All went well until mid-summer when Elsie got
appendicitis and had to have surgery.  Bernadine then asked if I could help
out.  For the payment for surgery  Dad had a hog (or was it a calf?) ready
to sell.  This was another lesson for the family of God's faithful
provision to meet all our needs.  A few years later when I spent the Summer
as assistant cook at Gull Lake Bible Conference, Elsie was able to come
fill in for me when I had to leave early to start nursing school in St.
Louis.

It wasn't easy for Elsie to be away from home.  She loved family.  Once in
grade school a woman from church invited us both to spend a few days at her
farm near Wesco so she could sew us each a dress.  It didn't help that we
were missing a visit from Grandpa Jesse B., and Grandma.  Elsie got so
homesick that she asked Daddy to come pick her up.  Later after we had
started college together and learned that Mama was pregnant (with Susan),
 Elsie's main excuse for staying at home after Christmas break was to help
out at home.  But that element of homesickness played a big part.  This was
the point where our lives no longer paralleled.  We split our shared
wardrobe.  Elsie was a tremendous help at home, especially when Susan was
born in April with some anomalies that required considerable time in
hospital.  She was also there to help when the folks decided to move to
Greenfield, IL.  That was the Lord's timing for her as well. Not long after
arrival there, Vince Marquess came into her life and soon they started
their own wonderful family.

What a joy it has been to be Elsie's sister, to see her love for her
family, but even better her love for the Lord.  She used the abilities and
gifts the Lord gave her to serve and to bring joy to others, thus giving
honor to God.  Now she is rejoicing in His presence where we will be
reunited before long.

          A verse that personifies her life is Micah 6:8   "He has told
you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do
justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

With love, Martha

PS.    Keith, if there are others in the family who might want to see this,
feel free to forward.  I don't have addresses.

Oh what their joy and their glory must be,
those endless Sabbaths the Blessed one see;
Crowns for the valiant, to weary one's rest;
God shall be All, and in all ever blessed.

Truly Jerusalem name we that shore,
"vision of Peace," that brings joy evermore;
Wish and fulfillment can severed be ne'er,
Nor the thing prayed for come short of the prayer.

There, where no troubles distraction can bring,
We the sweet anthems of Zion shall sing;
While for thy grace, Lord, their voices of praise
Thy blessed people shall evermore raise.

Low before Him with our praises we fall,
Of whom, and in whom, and through whom are all;
of whom, the Father, and through whom, the Son;
in whom, the Spirit, with these ever One.    Amen
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