2A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL DECEMBER 6, 2017
God is good. And He has a
good plan for each of our lives.
No matter what may be go-
ing on right now, God’s plan
is unfolding. In the meantime,
Romans 12:12 tells us to “re-
joice in our confi dent hope. Be
patient in trouble, and keep on
praying” (NLT).
I think that’s good advice,
especially in times when it
feels like we’ve been waiting
and waiting…and waiting for
something to happen in our
lives. Hope is vital in times like
these and it will keep us looking
ahead, anticipating, expecting
whatever it is we’re hoping for.
Over the years I’ve learned
how to lock myself up in a pris-
on of hope, knowing that God
has nothing but His best planned
for me. He promised me things
concerning my ministry and my
life. And hope is what helped
me hold on in those early years
when it got hard.
Anticipation
I remember when it was just
three weeks into my marriage
to Dave and he asked me one
day, “What’s
wrong with
you?
You
have such a
negative at-
titude!” And
I said, “Well,
if you don’t
expect anything good to happen,
then you won’t be disappoint-
ed when it doesn’t.” That was
how I felt based on my feelings
about past experiences. I had a
very negative outlook on life, so
I spoke negatively about it.
This is the way I used to
live…before I became a pris-
oner of hope. As I grew in my
relationship with God, I learned
how to trust Him, how to stand
on His Word, and how to stand
my ground in prayer when it
got tough. Today my outlook
on life is completely different
from what it was many years
ago. Now I enjoy my life and I
encourage others to enjoy theirs
as well.
Jesus died for us to live an
abundant, fulfi lling life. And
hope is the confi dent, favorable
expectation of the life we can
have in Him.
Double for Your Trouble
Now, I do realize there are
many things that can happen
to us that aren’t so enjoyable.
And that can make it diffi cult to
grasp the idea of enjoying life.
So, think of it this way: What
are you hoping for? What are
you expecting in life? What are
you looking forward to? Focus
on that.
My negative outlook was
due to my attitude about all the
bad things that had happened
to me. I was stuck in the pain
of my past, so I didn’t believe
anything good would happen in
my future. Because of all of the
negative things that had hap-
pened, I was programmed to be-
lieve that negative things would
always happen. I lost hope.
Well, God was there and He
knew that. But over time He
kept loving me and dealing with
me, promising me what Isa-
iah 61:7 says: “Instead of your
shame you will receive a double
portion, and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheri-
tance. And so you will inherit a
double portion in your land, and
everlasting joy will be yours”
(NIV).
That’s an amazing promise
for us all – a promise of double
for your trouble! Double the
blessing…double the joy…dou-
ble the peace! Now doesn’t that
inspire hope in your heart?
Of course, this double-bless-
ing promise isn’t for the dou-
ble-minded. When you walk it
Jack Westbrook
1929-2017
Jack L. Westbrook, 88 of Cot-
tage Grove, OR passed away
on December 2, 2017. He
was born on May 11, 1929 in
Lindsey, OK to Mike and Oma
(Green) Westbrook. He was a
high school graduate and served
in the United States Army. He
married Monta Ray Swicegood
on February 22, 1953 in Cali-
fornia. They were married for
57 years. Jack was a supervi-
sor for Crown Zeller Bach. He
was a member of the Elks Club.
Jack enjoyed hunting, fi shing,
making knives, traveling, vis-
iting with friends and family.
He is survived by his son, Lar-
ry Westbrook; daughter, Peggy
Westbrook; son, David West-
brook; 6 grandchildren and 18
great-grandchildren. Jack was
preceded in death by his wife,
Monta and a great-grandson. A
Memorial service will be held at
10:00 AM on Saturday, Decem-
ber 9, 2017 at Smith Lund Mills
Funeral Chapel, 123 S. 7th St.,
Cottage Grove, OR. A Private
Family inurnment will be at Fir
Grove Cemetery.
Obituaries
available
online at
cgsentinel.
com
feelings feeds and empowers
them. But standing our ground
and not giving in to negative
feelings starves them and caus-
es them to lose their power over
us.
Just ask the Holy Spirit to
lead you. Line your will up with
His and get excited about serv-
ing God. You could become a
person who inspires others to
become prisoners of hope!
Grant Gording, BC-HIS
Board Certifi ed in
Hearing Instrument Sciences
John David Shaw
1985-2017
John David Shaw of Cottage Grove
died on November 25. He was 32. John
was born on April 5, 1985 in Cottage Grove
to parents Danny Ray and Ellen Erdine
(Davis) Shaw.
He graduated from Cottage Grove High School in 2004.
John loved the outdoors, enjoying hunting, fi shing, camping,
gold-panning, shooting guns, and riding motorcycles. He en-
joyed playing disc golf and participated in disc golf tourna-
ments every Saturday in Cottage Grove.
He loved his dog Bullet more than life itself. The family
would like to thank John’s large circle of friends who came
to the hospital to support him and his family. He was always
surrounded by friends, even until his last moments of life. John
is survived by his parents, Danny Ray and Ellen Shaw of Cot-
tage Grove; sisters, Shelley Heine, Jennifer Davis, and Jessi-
ca Shaw of Cottage Grove; sister, Danielle Howard of North
Bend; brother, Matt Davis of Creswell; brother, Shane Heine of
Cottage Grove; and numerous nieces and nephews. A Celebra-
tion of Life is planned at a later date. Arrangements by Smith-
Lund-Mills Chapel in Cottage Grove.
Gary Dean Johnson
1940-2017
Gary Dean Johnson, 77 of Cottage
Grove,
Oregon
passed
away
November 24, 2017. He was born
May 6, 1940, in Portland, OR to
Clarence and Hattie (Fisher) Johnson.
Gary graduated from Cottage Grove
High School in 1958 and played both
baseball and football. He loved to take
his grandkids on his truck in the parades. Gary drove a log
truck in both CA and OR as well as other trucks. He retired
from Willamette Trucking in 2007. Gary enjoyed watching
old movies, walking, baseball and football games, feeding
birds, watching his grandkids playing sports and giving
them great advise. He married Sandra Steen on March 16,
1958, in Cottage Grove, OR. Gary is survived by daughter
Barbara Johnson, Eugene, OR, son Tim (Denise) Johnson,
Cottage Grove, OR, daughter Vicki Johnson and son Rod
(Laura) Johnson both of Springfi eld, OR, sisters Joan and
Candy both of Cottage Grove, OR, brother John Johnson,
Salem, OR, brother Walter Johnson, San Antonio, TX, 7
grandchildren; Chris, Julian, Dani, Oliver, Dylan, Ryder
and Bryon, and 6 great-grandchildren. He was preceded
in death by parents, a sister and step-dad. There will be a
celebration of life after the fi rst of the year. Inurnment at
Myrtle Creek, OR. Memorial contributions may be made
to the Burkitt Lymphoma Foundation. Arrangements by
Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel, 123 S. 7th St., Cottage
Grove, OR 97424.
GRACE MARILYN COOK
October 10, 1934 – November 28, 2017
Grace Marilyn Olp Begley Cook went to be with her Lord
Jesus on November 28, 2017.
She was born in Payette, Idaho to Charles and Grace
Olp on October 10, 1934. She grew up mostly in Sutherlin,
Oregon where she met her husband. She got married on her
15 th birthday to Ray C. Begley on October 10, 1949. Th ey were
married 43 years when he passed away in June 1992. Grace
then married Albert Cook in January 1996. He passed away in
June 2017.
Grace was a devoted mother and grandmother. She
enjoyed sewing, crocheting, reading and time spent with family.
She is preceded in death by daughter Melissa LaDawn
Rush, great-grandson Jonah Bergey, sister Dorothy, brother
Paul and two infant brothers.
Grace is survived by her 5 children: Catherine Joan
Robinson (Dennis), Charles Ray Begley (Judy), Judy Kathleen
Clark (Larry), Marilyn Rose Begley and Dorothy Marie Vosgien
(Jeff ); 16 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; 2 sisters; 3
brothers and many nieces and nephews. She also had three
step-daughters: Margaret Rhodes, Roseanne Friege and Sandra
Moose.
She was loved very much by family and friends and will be
greatly missed by many.
A celebration of life service will take place on Monday,
December 11 th at 1:30 PM in the Youth Center at Hope Church
in Albany (formerly First Assembly).
AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home is handling the
arrangements (www.aasum-dufour.com).
Jenna Buetow
Hearing Consultant
Free Hearing Screening
Same Day Appointments Available
www.grantshearing.com
Kendall Steven Hickey 1938-2017
Kendall Steven Hickey, Jr. of Cottage
Grove died on December 2 at the age
of 79.
He was born in Puyallup, WA on
February 19, 1938, to parents Kendall
Steven and Dorothy Ada (Over) Hick-
ey. He married Linda Jo Colvn in De-
cember 1981 at their home in Cottage
Grove. Kendall was a car salesman,
and a drafter for Kimwood Wood Prod-
uct and Machinery. He also worked as
a drafter for Boeing. He enjoyed clas-
sic cars, hot rods, restoring furniture, and oil painting. He liked
spending time with his wife, Linda, at the coast. He was a
member of the Church of Christ at 6th and Gibbs. Kendall is sur-
vived by daughters Stephany (Ronald) Gabaldon and Stacy (Scot)
Campbell, both of Cottage Grove; 7 grandchildren and
9 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents;
his spouse, Linda; son, Robert Hanks; and grandson, Kurtis Gab-
aldon. A graveside service will be held in Fir Grove cemetery on
Saturday, December 9 at 1:00 PM. Arrangements in the care of
Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel in Cottage Grove.
out in everyday life, there will
be times when doubt, fear, un-
belief and weariness will come
against you. It’s in these times
you will need to fi ght a good
fi ght of faith. You will need to
guard your mind against neg-
ativity about your situation. I
encourage you to fi nd out what
God says about it and then stand
on the promises in His Word.
The Bible tells of many times
when people encountered Je-
sus and He touched their lives,
and how they wanted to stay
with Him and follow Him. But
He sent them home—back to
everyday life—to live out and
share with others what He’d
done for them.
They had to hold on to what
He had done for them. And in
the same way, we must hold on
to whatever He promises us and
be confi dent that He is working
in our situation. Hope releases
the power of the Holy Spirit in
these times.
Hope
I want to encourage you to
make a decision to cultivate an
attitude of hope in your life.
Speak positive things about
your future and refuse to be
negative. You may not always
feel hopeful but don’t give in to
your feelings. Catering to bad
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