A Celebration of Life and Resurrection For RICHARD CLAY CARTER PRELUDE Grace and Peace, in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Hear the words of hope The promises of God: “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) “I am the resurrection and the life; those who believe in me, though they die, yet shall they live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26) Greeting Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have gathered here to praise God and to witness to our faith as we remember the life of Richard Clay Carter. We come together in grief acknowledging our human loss. May God search our hearts that in pain we may find comfort, in sorrow hope, and in death, resurrection. Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restored our life. Christ will come again in glory. As in baptism Dick put on Christ, So in Christ may Dick be clothed with glory. Here and now, dear friends, we are God’s children. What we shall be has not yet been revealed. But we know that when Christ appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Those who have this hope will be made pure in Christ who is pure. A Prayer of Thanksgiving: O God our Strength and our Redeemer, Giver of life, and Conqueror of death, we worship you in this hour of sorrow with humbled hearts. With faith in your perfect mercy and wisdom we lift up your child, Dick.

We praise you for your loving-kindness shown to him throughout the days of his earthly life, and for all that he was, by nature and grace, to those who loved him and to the church of Jesus Christ. We thank you that for him all sickness and sorrow are ended, and death itself is past, and that he has entered into the rest that remains for your people. Keep us in fellowship with your church triumphant, that we may rejoice together in your presence both now and evermore. Amen. Old Testament READING – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to seek, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to throw away; A time to tear, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace. Psalm 23 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long. CONGREGATIONAL SONG: Amazing Grace UMH #378 New Testament READINGS The Gospel of John 14 (selected verses) “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also …” “I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Those who have my commandments and keeps them, they are the ones who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and manifest myself to them.” “These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” A Reading from the Book of Revelation, chapter 21 (selected verses)

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold the dwelling of God is with mortals. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” A Prayer of Thanksgiving: Lord, we rejoice that we are enabled by your power to walk in the way of Christ as those who have gone before us. Thank you for the encouragement of scripture that speaks to our hearts and stills our souls. Thank you for Dick, for what he was, for what he did, and for all that he meant to those who knew and loved him. Accept our undying gratitude that one generation after another has carried the lamp for our feet and the light for our paths. In Christ, Amen. SOLO: O God, Our Help in Ages Past UMH #117 Homily I am honored to be asked to share with you a few thoughts and reflections about Dick Carter. It is a daunting task to try and encapsulate in a few brief words the essence of such a full life and I think all would agree that Dick lived a very full and rich life.

Reflections on Dick’s Life: Dick Carter was born on October 16, 1943 in Aline, OK to Ruby and Avery Carter. He was the eldest of their two children with his sister Penny being the youngest. Their father was a farmer and their mother was a high school science teacher. Before Dick began school the family moved from Aline to Yates Center, KS where they remained. Dick attended a one-room school from kindergarten through the 8th grade and then went to Yates Center High School where he graduated. He went on to Kansas State University receiving a bachelor’s degree in

electrical engineering and eventually he would receive a master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Dick’s love for reading began very early. As a grade schooler he managed to read the entire school library and then went on to read the books that the school superintendent owned. Once completed, the superintendent figured that it was time to introduce Dick to the public library. The other thing of note is that Dick had his mother for high school science but he did not get to call her by her familiar name of “mom.” He had to call her Mrs. Carter like all the other students. During Dick’s sophomore year of college he married a young woman by the name of Charlotte Kesterson. By the following spring Dick was a widower – Charlotte died of a congenital heart defect – they did not have the chance to celebrate their first wedding anniversary let alone think about family. Dick stayed a bachelor for the next 20 years. After college Dick went to work for Bendix, now Honeywell here in Kansas City and worked there for 36 years until retiring. He had one of those jobs that if he ever told you what he did he would have to kill you…I had one of those jobs when I was in the Air Force. Dick and Kay’s paths crisscrossed for years and then in 1983 they started dating; they married in 1984 and spent the next 29 years on an adventure together. Besides reading, Dick had two other passions – he was a amateur radio operator and dune buggy owner! Dick obtained his amateur radio license as a young man in 1962. He enjoyed the opportunity to communicate with people from all over as well as the chance it gave him to serve. His amateur radio hobby allowed him to get involved with a number of public service activities many of which he participated in for decades. - He worked communications and net control for the Muscular Sclerosis society for their various walks, runs and rides including the MS 150. He began volunteering with them in 1984. - He volunteered with the American Royal parade for 39 years managing communications for them. - They helped with American Diabetes Association and the Tour de Weston bike ride as well as the Biker’s for Babies March of Dimes rides - Crop walks, the corporate challenge events and a number of different runs including the Hospital Hill run – actually the list is numerous all the activities, runs, and events they worked as volunteers.

He was a member of the Johnson County Amateur Radio Club, the Missouri/Kansas Council of Amateur Radio Clubs, the Johnson County Emergency Service, Inc. and on the board of directors for Kansas City SkyWarn weather network. - During the Hyatt Regency tragedy Dick and other amateur radio operators set up a network of communication to facilitate information from the scene to area emergency rooms. - In 1990 the American Radio Relay League held its Midwest convention here in Kansas City – the planning committee needed someone to be in charge of the ladies activities – Dick raised Kay’s hand for her and volunteered her. - The next year she was volunteered to coordinate the ladies events for the national meeting that was also held here in Kansas City. So in other words - Dick did not do this alone; Kay was with him all the time. It was a hobby both of them enjoyed together! - As a matter of fact Kay also has an operator’s license and when they got married she actually had a higher class of license than Dick did which may have prompted him to pursue a higher class license as well. - And they had some interesting times at different volunteer events. o He and Kay celebrated their first wedding anniversary at the MS 150 event – Such a romantic! o At an early MS 150 ride Dick was the only net controller for the event – he started early in the day and talked almost all day long on the system that was in his car. He got so preoccupied with everything that was transpiring that he forgot to periodically start his car and he ran his battery down – lesson learned, that never happened again. o Another event Dick forgot to book a hotel room for them and there was no room “in the inn!” So they found a local campground by the highway and stayed overnight in their van. - THE LIFE OF AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR! As I mentioned the other thing they enjoyed was buzzing across the sands in a dune buggy! Kay had actually started riding in 1964 and Dick started in 1968 – it was one of those activities in life that would cause their paths to cross. - They travelled with a small group of 5 families that would go to different spots to camp and ride o They would go out to Waynoka, OK near Enid to the Little Sahara a few times a year and ride o They also visited places like Klamath, CA, Pismo Beach, CA, an area up near Coo’s Bay, OE, Coral Pink Sand Dunes in UT, the sand dunes in Idaho, and Big Sandy near Nephi, UT - One of their trips to Big Sandy they got detached from their group and when they arrived they discovered that they couldn’t ride because of the smoke and wildfires that year. So they headed

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south and east to Texas for a family reunion. Kay said they travelled all that way and the buggy never made it off its trailer! She also commented that buggy riding was fun but exhausting. You would take a long trip and drive like mad to get there. Then you would unload the trailer and drive across the sand like mad only to load everything up and drive like mad to get home and go back to work! But maybe one of the saddest days for Dick and Kay was the day they sold their buggy – she cried and cried because a chapter of their adventure had come to a close.

If you ask about the qualities and characteristics that best described Dick here are a couple you might recognize. - Dick was a gregarious personality who loved to meet new people – the chaplain who visited with Dick on Saturday evening at the hospital asked Dick what he would like for him to do with the door as he left – Dick asked him to leave it open. Probably so he could watch who was walking by and see who was coming into his room – they were opportunities for him to meet someone new. - Second, Dick tried his best to look for the good in everyone – because of his work, travels, and hobbies Dick met a number of people – they had a wide range of acquaintances; interesting people. He did his best to draw the good out of others. For Kay – she simply said that she and Dick had a full and interesting life together; and his family looked to him for his wise and competent counsel. Dick was a member of the Christian Church in Yates Center, KS. He did not attend formal worship on Sundays – he spent Sunday mornings with his small group chatting over the air waves of their radios. That was his community. And even though he didn’t attend worship regularly he did model for all a life filled with service. The calendar for the Carter household didn’t begin on January 1st – it was managed by the first charity run or ride for that year and then all those that followed. That was his faithful witness – to serve others; this is how he lived his faith. The New Testament author of James said “Some of you argue saying ‘Some people have faith; others have good works.’ But I say ‘How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good works? I will show you my faith by my good works.” It isn’t enough to simply believe – it must be corroborated with your deeds. I could only surmise that Dick was a man of deep faith simply based upon the voluminous amount of time he spent serving others. Family Reflections:

Obituary: Richard Clay Carter died on Sunday, November 17, 2013 in Overland Park, KS. He was 70 years of age. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ruby and Avery Carter of Yates Center, KS and his first wife, Charlotte Kesterson Carter. He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Kay Carter, his sister Penny Gaulding and husband Bob, his nephew Brandon and wife, his niece Tracy and husband, 2 great nieces and 1 great nephew. No one truly knows the heart of another person in regards to their relationship with the Creator. Only God can testify to it and judge. But we come today to seek comfort in the middle of the loss of Dick. The Apostle Paul wrote about this in his first letter to the Thessalonian church. I Thessalonians 4 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” The worldly assessment is that this is all you get – your life and at death there is nothing else. The tradition of faith teaches life with God after death and the hope that Paul shares is that each of us who in this life give our hearts to God will join together in the next life. God created us to be resident aliens in this temporal world; our true home is in eternity – the blessing will be to spend eternity with Him and our loved ones. So do not grieve as the world grieves for you have hope – hope in the steadfast love and mercy of God; hope in the resurrection; and hope in the life eternal with our Lord and Savior. Prayer O Lord God of our fathers and mothers, we praise you for the holy triumph of your saints in every age and among all people. We thank you for all that you have done for this your child. You have shown him your salvation. Your grace has been sufficient for him. We thank you for all that he has been to those who have loved him. Graciously comfort all whose hearts are filled with sorrow that they may be sure of your undying love. Mercifully direct their thoughts and affections heavenward, to your house with many rooms. Grant that the memory of Dick may be an inspiration to a holy, godly life. Help us to realize more and more that we are not of this world, but strangers and pilgrims before you, O God, and that while we live in this world, our citizenship is in heaven. And when all suffering is ended and all trials are over, help us to follow gladly your summons to our eternal home. Help us to rejoice that there we shall put off the

robe of mortality; soiled by the struggles and temptations of this life, and that there we shall put on, by your grace, the robe of righteousness. As heirs of your eternal kingdom above, may we rejoice and be triumphant, because you, O God, will give us the victory over sin and death, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Prayer/Lord’s Prayer Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be they name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Commendation O God, all that you have given us is yours. As first you gave Dick to us, now we give him back to you. Receive Dick into the arms of your mercy. Raise him up with all your people. Receive us also, and raise us into new life. Help us so to love and serve you in the world that we may enter into your joy in the world to come. Amen. Benediction May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.