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Note: OBITUARY -------- Mr. Andrew Topper died Feb. 17, 1970 1n The Dane Co. Hospital at the age of 88. He was born March 11, 1881 in the town of Blue Mounds. His parents were Thore and Sara Topper. He was confirmed in the Blue Mounds Lutheran Church on Nov. 22, 1896. He formerly made his home at Lily (Langlade Co.) with his brother John. He was a carpenter by trade. He was the last surviving member of his family. He was preceded in death by one sister, Mrs. Mary Leacy and six brothers - Ole, Thorvald, Olaf, Martin, John, and Theadore, and his parents. He is survived by several nieces and nephews. Thank you. Lunch served following committal at W. Blue Mounds Lutheran Cemetery.
FUNERAL FOR ANDREW TOPPER (Age 88) - Blue Mounds- 2/21 1970 typed for funeral service
John 14
Dear Sorrowing Friends:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
As a pastor it was my privilege in the last few weeks to visit with Uncle Andrew (as he was called by most of you) several times. In one of my visits with Andrew at University Hospital I shared with him the wonderful words of Jesus from John 14, and I think it is good for us to hear those words today.
Life is in so many ways such a strange thing. We are born into this world, spend few or many years, and more than often than not slip away in almost complete silence. As I stopped at the funeral home yesterday afternoon to view the body of Andrew, I couldn't help but marvel at the mystery of life and stop to think that in that casket lay the remains of a marvelous creation. No one of us is like any other---our features and our lives are so different. But yet we all have the same God, the same creator.
Does then all life cease in the casket, or is there more to it than immediately meets the eye? There must be or everything about life would almost seem to be in vain.
And then I thought of the words of our Lord----"Do not be worried and upset---believe in God and believe also in me. There are many rooms in my Father's house, and I am going to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am" ------and pondering these words I realed once again that there's more to life than meets the eye. The Lord who said these words is the Lord who on Easter conquered death and lives even this moment. And because he lives, life for the child of God doesn't cease at the grave----He's coming again after getting the rooms ready to take his children to a new home where death is not numbered among the words in the dictionary.
And so this afternoon, trusting in these promises of our living Lord, we commend our loved one to His care.
But the way to this eternal home is only thru Jesus Christ who is the way, the Truth, and the Life. Thru his death and resurrection He has paid the fare to life, but this fare we must receive thru faith. "Believe in God, believe also in me." Jesus says.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ today? Do you trust in his promises? If you do, then life is yours and a room in the Father's House reserved.
Let each of us then put our faith in Jesus Christ and live day by day with him in the days He still gives us. And then let us rejoice that death is not the end, but the passageway that leads to life everlasting. Amen
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