My precious loving Mother, Beverly Sartor, passed away peacefully in her sleep June 9, 2021 at the age of 101. Every time I grieve for myself in missing her so, (and I know I'm greedy having had her that long); but an unbidden happiness wells up within my soul and a smile quickly takes over my countenance, so happy for her, in remembering how ready she was to get to her real Home. Her ordeal was not as difficult as many but an ordeal just the same, for she was too weak to go about any useful feeling activities or duties for many months, and this bothered her constantly. There were many days and hours in those months we shared. But we always reminded ourselves to be ever thankful to God that she was not in pain except for the ever shortening of breath caused by the aortic stenosis, which was always scary. I prayed thousands of prayers asking God, that if He had to take her that it be in her sleep. She had lapsed into a coma like sleep the last 9 days of her life. And in that sleep, the answer to my prayers was mercifully granted. How can I be anything but joyful.....all I can do is rejoice. She kept asking and wondering, why doesn't He come for me, the last month being especially long and trying, in bed and not able to sit up except with help. I was with her and heard her take her last breath. There was not a struggle not even a movement, her breathing just the same as when taking one of her usual Sunday afternoon naps. - and she departed in an instant as she left this home for her true Love's Home, her breath ceasing as a clock's tick tock ceases in mid-sentence. She simply took our Lord's hand as He escorted her out of her earthly bonds heavenward, for all eternity, now to be with Him. I trust she did not say to Him as she said to me many times, "I can do this all by myself." She is Home and Free, and I know, deliriously happy now, with our Lord.
My mother was born in Nov. of 1919 and grew up in and around Vaiden, MS in the loving home of her father and mother and her two sisters. This was a time and era only read about in history books or enjoyed in movies of bygone days. She learned to drive on her daddy's model T Ford as a young teen. Before then there was only horse and buggy for transportation. Her father always had a store, and life revolved around the shared busyness, duties, and advantages of that life. They were not rich in material possessions but certainly rich in growing up in a secure and loving home, and most of all the Love of our Lord God and Jesus Christ. My Grandaddy was called "Preacher", and once his real preacher wanted to buy gas from him on Sunday, but my Grandaddy felt he could not grant his request. This did not bode well with his pastor but Grandaddy had to do what he felt was right. This is my mother's legacy and our family's legacy in large part.
My mother attended Holmes Jr. College, enjoying business subjects, unlike her sisters who were music students, later becoming teachers in that field. My mother worked for a number of years for Deposit Guaranty National Bank in the credit file department, and was praised by her superiors and officers as the dependable, go to person when they wanted their needs met promptly and professionally. She served twice as president of her Sunday School at Madison United Methodist Church, and for approximately 15 years volunteered in the church office weekly.
In paying tribute and honor to anyone, one must look beneath the surface of the daily life of work, play, and duties, as we must all probe into our souls as to how close one might be in their becoming more like Christ....we must not pass over and treat lightly the seriousness of such scriptures as in the book of Revelation, saying that "only those who are overcomers will sit with Me on My throne." This is where my mother always astonished me and of course, blessed me every day I spent with her. The character traits that we all spend a lifetime trying to perfect came so easily for my mother, as if it were built into her DNA......the gifts of the Spirit that we all so wish for and strive for in our lives, she possessed in spades. What my mother daily lived out in her life were, at their foundations, the greatest, most desirable of human values and traits, and not easy to master for most of us - true humility, patience, even meekness, and a gentle peaceful spirit - that was my mother.
I was so blessed and privileged to share the past 40 years of my life with this lovable, kind, adventuresome, and full of life and fun person. She was always in good spirits and ready for fun on any level. We cooked together, played scrabble together, gardened together, raked a billion leaves together from the giant sycamore tree in our back yard, and watched and enjoyed together, listening daily to our inspired and anointed preachers and teachers from all over the world on our wonderful Christian tv stations. As her illness progressed, she hungered to go to the yard again and tackle those jobs she loved. Near the end of her days here, she would say, "if only God would just come get me and give me one little corner to keep clean." And I don't know many 90 something year olds who want to shop for a new chain saw; but we did and we bought it and it was put to use. She was also quite talented at swinging an ax and hitting right on target the stump or root that needed removing. It was quite impressive, as that was also in her 90's.
She regaled me so many times with the stories of her childhood, like the time she coaxed the tallest mule she had ever seen over by the fence so that she could ride it, but discovering that it was a giant of a mule and vowed never to try that again if she could just manage to get that mule back over by the fence and dismount, never to try that again. It happened to be something also that her daddy had told her not to do. And then there was the hitching up of the poor little calf to the wagon who almost went crazy bumping and jumping all over yard, and who knows what else, trying to get loose - another of one of her many forays into adventures she found irresistible, propelled by her ever present curiosity and independent spirit, which she never outgrew. One of the cutest and funniest little scenes from childhood she shared, was when she had stuffed herself with plums. When her daddy saw the pile of seeds on the ground, he asked, "you mean, you ate all that?" And Mama's reply was, "No, that's what I didn't eat."
We spoke a lot about Jesus' coming and being ready. She was asking daily for God to forgive her for her sins; she wanted to be ready. But the worst sins she could seem to dig up were little misdemeanors as a child, like when she wouldn't share her candy with this little girl classmate. And then there was the banana she took from the supply in her daddy's store and ate it without asking. Those and some other similar 'sins, she still remembers. I'd usually say, "Honestly? Is that it, Mama? That's all you can dig up?" Really?
After her eyes grew dim with macular degeneration, she would listen to her Bible tape for hours on end and would say how she wished she had started studying the Bible seriously earlier in life. But I would tell her that I believed that she had made up for any amount of previous lack there. Since her death last Wednesday and now as her funeral service approaches, I've had some unmistakable signs that there is something wonderful happening with this little earth angel's arrival, not the least of which was today's double rainbow that I normally would not have been outside to see - but I was, and I did see. I hate to end my story, but I must. May we all look forward to meeting our Lord as much and as anxiously as my precious mother did. God bless and keep you all in His care and purposes until you leave this earthly home for your eternal and true Home.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her baby sister, Nell Carpenter.
Beverly is survived by her daughter, Jean Spell of Madison, her sister, Kathryn Wasson of Starkville, grandaughter, Laura Lefley of Michigan, great grandaughters, Emily Kalny of Nevada, Lucy Schewe of Illinois, and nephews, Thomas Wasson (Janet) of Raymond and Louis Wasson of Starkville.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 16 with visitation at 1:30,
at Madison United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Congregational Care Ministry of MUMC of Madison.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18