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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2018)
2A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL JANUARY 3, 2018 H ave you ever been stuck? Have you ever hit a place in life that seemed like a dead end...like you no longer had any options? I’ve been there many times, and I’m sure most people have. But I am so grateful that over the years God has taught me that even when we get stuck, there is no situ- ation too diffi cult for Him to handle! Let’s start by looking at the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. The Bible says he was the favorite of his father’s 12 sons, and his brothers were very jealous of him because of it. One day Joseph shared with his brothers a dream he’d had. In his dream, they were all bowing down to him. Needless to say, it didn’t go over well! As a result, the brothers got together to decide how to get rid of Joseph. First, they threw him into a pit to leave him there to die. But later they decided to sell him into slavery to a band of traveling Ishmaelite merchants. They then devised a plan to convince their father of Joseph’s death. As you may know, this story ends triumphantly. Joseph becomes second in command to Pharaoh, is eventually reunited with his family, and all is forgiven. What happened to Joseph is proof that no matter what you go through in life, there is always hope. You can fulfi ll God’s purpose for you because all things are possible with God! But the part of his story we really need to focus on is what happened in-between the pit and the palace. Joseph’s life took several turns during that time. But because of Joseph’s faith in God and his determina- tion to persevere no matter what, he never gave up! In our own lives, we may fall into a pit every once in a while. It could be a pit of sickness, fi nancial lack, relationship issues or other problems. Whenever that happens, you need to be determined that whatever the situation may be, you will not give up! It is inevitable that you will go through hard things. Sometimes you might even feel like giving up. But if you can just hold on and trust God through it all, He can restore you. He can take all the bad and make good of it (see Romans 8:28). It is said that Winston Churchill gave the following speech to the graduates at Harrow School in 1941: “Never, never, in nothing great or small, large or pet- ty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”1 Churchill said those words during World War II, and I believe the Holy Spirit is speaking that one thing to many of us today—“Don’t give up, because God has so much in store for your life!” It’s very easy to want to give up when things get hard. Sometimes people get stuck where they are and don’t know how to get out, so they think giving up would be easier. They may feel like they’re not smart enough or tal- ented enough; maybe something traumatic happened to them; or they may have failed at something or made terrible mistakes in the past. But the Holy Spirit anoints us to press in, to press on and go through to our victory, even if things don’t go the way we planned. Failure does not mean there are no more options. You can learn from past mistakes—I’ve found history to be a good teacher. When all else fails, try again. If nothing else, you’ll learn what works and what doesn’t work and go from there. You can turn your obstacle into an opportunity to grow wiser and mature spiritually. God wants us to live a good life; however, there is no elevator ride to a good life—trust and perseverance are a must. Richard “Dick” A Simpson Richard “Dick” A. Simpson, Sr., 90 of Co age Grove, OR passed away December 25, 2017. He was born February 25, 1927, in Grand Junc- on, CO to Alvin C. and Esther R. (Chaff ee) Simpson. Dick went to OTI Gunsmithing school and was a licensed gunsmith. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II in the South Pacifi c. Dick was a water system service man for the City of Co age Grove for 37 years. He enjoyed woodworking, rock hun ng, fi shing, gardening, hun ng, family ac vi es with desserts, taking care of people in need and learning and read- ing about Na ve Americans. Dick was a member of the VFW, American Legion and the NRA. He received Blue Ribbons for his garlic and woodworking at the WOE Fair. Dick married Alice E. Wolf on May 9, 1947, in Philadelphia, PA. He is survived by daughter, Nancy (Mike) Williams, son, Rick (Debbie) Simpson both of Co age Grove, OR, grandchildren; Mick (Liz) Williams, Russell (Chelsea) Williams, Cali (Auz) Clement, Jesi (Travis) Chewning and Abby Elvebak, sister, Sandra Maynard, Sheridan, OR and 8 great-grandchildren. Dick was preceded in death by his spouse Alice Simpson, April 2007 and a sister, Dorothy Hass. A Celebra on of Life will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday De- cember 30, 2017, at the United Methodist Church, Co age Grove, OR and private family interment at Shields Cemetery. Memorial contribu ons may be made to the United Method- ist Church. Arrangements by Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel, Co age Grove, OR. z å IN MEMORIAM Melba Edingfi eld 1931-2017 Melba Edingfi eld was born in Texas on April 1, 1931. She went to be with her husband in heaven Dec. 16, 2017. She has three daughters and their husbands, Nola and Bill Leonard of Paradise, Calif., Betty and Bill Heine of Dorena, Ore., and Ginny and Denny Hanson of Drain, Ore. She had eight grandchildren, 16 great grand- children and even more great great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ellis (Blackie) Eding- fi eld, son-in-law, Bill Leonard, and her grandson, Billy Heine. She was a Navy wife for 22 years, worked at civil service jobs and they owned a feed store before retiring to Drain, Oregon in 1993. They moved to a smaller house in Cottage Grove in 2006. She was in Paradise, Calif. when she passed with her three daughters at her side. She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, wife, sister and friend. Celebration of life will be held at the Masonic Lodge on Row River Road in Cottage Grove on Jan. 13, 2018 at 3:30 p.m. James Boyce 1926-2017 James Edward Boyce, 91 of Cottage Grove, Oregon passed away December 28, 2017. He was born February 1, 1926, in Portland, OR to Robert and Clara (Bramble) Boyce. James graduated from Cottage Grove High School in 1944, then served in the U.S. Air Force during WWII. He was the owner and operator of a Shell Gas Station for 46 years. James loved to dance, work in the yard, was an avid reader of non-fi ction, loved history and spending time with his family. He was an Oregon Ducks season ticket holder for 40 years. James was a mem- ber of the Elks and VFW. In 1971 he was named Cottage Grove First Citizen, he was a member of the South Lane School Board for 10 years, and served as chairman for 5 years. James married Mildred Fisher on November 23, 1947, in Cottage Grove, OR. He is survived by daughter Debra (Bob) McMurtrey, Milwaukee, OR, son Greg (Paige) Boyce, Cottage Grove, OR, daughter Charla (Philip) Moran, Meridian, ID, son Brian Boyce and life partner Deborah Brigham, Eugene, OR, 5 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM on Thursday, January 4, 2018 at Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel, 123 S. 7th Street, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 and a private family entombment at Springfi eld Memorial Gardens, Springfi eld, OR. Memorial contributions may be made to Northwest Housing Alternatives, 2316 SE Willard St., Milwaukee, OR 97222 or to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Arrangements by Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel. Obituaries from 2016-current available online at cgsentinel. com Jenna Buetow Grant Gording, BC-HIS Hearing Consultant Board Certifi ed in Hearing Instrument Sciences Too Many Silent Nights? We’re HEAR to Help www.grantshearing.com 1498 E. Main St., CG 541-942-8444 Customer Engagement 24/7 Web Design & Development Ask us how we can help grow your business. S entinel C ottage G rove DEATH NOTICE Bonne Jean Blackmore, 91, of Cottage Grove, died Dec. 22, 2017 Arrange- ments by Smith-Lund- Mills Funeral Chapel in Cottage Grove. Funeral & Memorial Planning Cremation Options e Monuments & Memorials & e Memorials Cemetery Options e Monuments Cemetery Options e Funeral & Memorial Planning e Cremation Options e Please Celebrate the 4th of July Safely! 123 South 7th, Cottage Grove, Oregon th 123 South 7 , Cottage Grove, Oregon 541-942-0185 •www.smithlundmills.com z www.smithlundmills.com å
