Note: The first section is a eulogy for Leah Peterson which then transitions into a theological reflection based upon Psalm 116; 1 Thes 4:13-18; 1 cor 15:42-49.
First let us remember that we are gathered here today not because Leah Peterson has died, rather, we are gathered here today because Leah Peterson has lived; We are not here to honor the death of a lady we all loved so dearly, we are here to celebrate the life of this wonderful woman who has changed so many lives, in so many ways.
Leah was a true Alaskan Pioneer. We all know Leah from many different places, and I think that each of us has our own image of who Leah was: Impeccably dressed, always a wise word on her tongue, sweetness embodied, strong, independent, determined – I can take care on myself, thank you very much! Until very recently, she was balancing her own checkbook and keeping tabs on all of her bills and finances…quite impressive for a 99 year old.
Though each of us knew Leah, we need to understand that she did have a lapse of responsibility every now and then. Years ago, during her 42 years in the school system, Leah didn’t show up for work for three days straight. Three days! Her supervisor at work was very concerned and was quite frantic in his attempts to find her. It turns out that Leah, this petite lady, had been out in a remote area of Alaska, by herself, and had shot herself a black bear. It took her three days to get that bear back to Anchorage!
We all imagine that we know all about Leah, but she was much more than any of us ever knew. I think we could all gather together and tell stories for hours about how Leah impacted our lives, and we would not scratch the surface of who Leah was. Now we will have a time in just a few minutes for folks to share thoughts, stories and memories about Leah – Leah certainly would want you to speak your mind.
Leah’ s great love was education. Leah was forever not only teaching, but she was also mentoring, in fact many I know that of you here today where mentored by Leah. She was a pioneer in education in Alaska, helping to build our educational system from frontier instruction to a true, solid educational organization.
She began her educational career in 1928 in a one room school house in Salmon River County Idaho, 25 miles away from nothing. There where she rode to school on horseback, stoked the fire in the morning – so the ink wells would thaw, carried water from the nearby stream and doubled as the custodian…and you know she loved every minute of it. Her first days of teaching here in Alaska started in 1939 on Kodiak Island in the small village of Karluk, which remember, is on the far side of Kodiak. Leah and her husband Chet decided that they would take this position for only one, maybe two years. After purchasing a year’s worth of groceries, they arrived on the same ship that Admiral Byrd would then command on an expedition to the South Pole, the North Star. They were young, adventurous and determined….some things never changed for Leah, did they? She was still young, adventurous and determined at 99.
Two years later when they arrived in Anchorage, the town was in flux with the concerns of Japanese military activity on everyone’s mind. With only one partly paved muddy street in Anchorage and no available housing, Chet and Leah had no place to go. So what do Alaskan’s do? Set up camp, move on with life…why let a little thing like no housing concern you? In only two years Chet and Leah had become Alaskan through and through. They purchased the land on what is now the corner of 11th and L, and the city grew up around her. Leah used to say, she never had to change her address. She was living in the woods, passed the edge of town, I mean, the town ended on 9th avenue. Funny, I bet she never thought her home on the edge of the woods would one day become modern downtown Anchorage.
The first time I stopped by to see Leah, I didn’t have a complete address for her place and I was having a little trouble finding the place. Then, at one point I looked up, and there it was: Peterson Tower. How could I have missed that huge building? Leah told me, “Yes, it is rather convenient have one’s name on the building you live in, isn’t it?”
During that Fall of 1941, Leah went to work for the Anchorage Territorial School on what is now the Performing Arts Center, little did she know what impact she would have on children and school administration for the next 42 years with various educational positions culminating as the principal at Chugach Elementary School. Even after she retired Leah was heavily involved in education including serving on the Alaska Pacific University Board of Trusties and an active member of the College Fellows, University of Alaska.
Many of us know Leah from her many different social activities here in the city and what a delight it was to have her in any organization or at any event, yes Leah was a very active in social circles, but she was also crazy about fishing. Leah and her good friend Vi were fishing buddies. Vi Remembers the first time they went out fishing together:
“The first time Leah and I went silver salmon fishing up at Montana Creek stands out. We arrived at our destination and Leah put on her break up boots, her western hat with its brim and under the chin tie. The she brought out her rain coat which consisted of about 50% clear plastic and 50% duct tape. (Vi was quite taken back) We caught our limit and returned to the Peterson Towers, looking worse for the wear. When we got off the elevator on the 10th floor Leah said, ‘I hope my neighbors don’t see us. They had just moved in.’ I asked her if she had met them yet. She said, ‘No…’ So I said, ‘I’ll tell you what. You keep you back to the hall and if they come out, I’ll say in a loud voice, I sure hope Leah is home!’ Leah smiled that great big smile she had and we were great friends ever since.”
Not only was Leah a very competent educator, a great organizer, and a phenomenal fisher – woman, I think she was one of the sweetest, loveliest, most delightful ladies we will ever know. Leah was a precious woman to us, and she was a precious woman to the Lord.
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We heard Pastor Ted read Psa. 116:15, where it says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” This past Sunday a precious event happened in Anchorage Alaska, when our friend and sister, Leah Peterson was received in the arms of our savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. This was something that Leah did not fear. Leah loved life, but she did not fear death.
Death first came to humanity because of sin in the Garden of Eden, striking fear into Adam and Eve as they hid from the sight of God. To this day we fear death, and our fear is based on the fact that we are powerless against it. Do what we will, death still waits in the shadows. Though we don’t think about it, though we don’t talk about it, though we avoid the subject whenever possible, like our sister Leah, we will all have to face death someday too. We all fear death, but to God, we read in psalm 116:15, to God, the death of his saints is precious. How can this be? The thing we fear most, God finds precious.
What is precious for God isn’t death, no, God, in the resurrection in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ has conquered death and holds full dominion over death, God hates death; What is precious to God, is the death of his saints. Here in our presence we have the honor of one of the Lord’s longest living saints – our sister, Leah Peterson. She was, and still is, a servant of the Most High God and Leah was and still is precious in His sight.
Understand that when Scripture uses the word saint to describe people, it is simply describing a person who is a believer. The word saint is not used to describe a person who is perfect, it is used to describe a fellow brother or sister in Christ. In fact the early Christians would address each other as saints. To be a saint does not mean one is perfect, no, it means that our sins have been forgiven, it means that we who are saints enjoy a special relationship with the Lord God – and like our sister Leah here, it also means we will live again in the resurrection, forever in the presence of God.
Let me be clear that none of us are going to heaven because we have been good, that is a myth made in America. We have the possibility of going to heaven because Christ died on that cross for us, when we give our life over to Jesus, He gives us, through His grace and resurrection new life – This Leah knew, this Leah understood, in this Leah was confident and in this we can be confident also.
In our passage from the book of 1 Corinthians Paul tells us how each of us experience at least one kind of birth, and for those who are believers, as our sister Leah is, two births: The physical and then the spiritual. We see that there is a perishable body, a physical birth that each of us experience, and with those that give their life over to Jesus Christ there is the spiritual birth…what Paul calls the imperishable. He tells us that it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. We all here know Leah in her natural body, and in time we will know her in her spiritual body. Scripture doesn’t tell us exactly what having a spiritual body means, but we can be assured of this: There is no doubt that we will recognize Leah and she will also recognize us. We will visit, we will laugh, we will all be together again in the full presence of God.
Now Paul tells us that we are not to be ignorant, like those who have no hope. What he means is those people we know who, sadly and painfully, think that this right here is the end. They would say, sorry Leah, this is the end of it all. Ignorance is certainly not bliss, it is despair. Leah and I had many conversations where we talked about eternal life and the certainty that our spiritual life is a reality. Leah was no fool. You know her, she wouldn’t be taken in by ignorance, by a loss of hope.
Leah’s breathed her last on Sunday morning, but Sunday was not the day of her real death, for Leah died a long time ago. For when she heard the call of Jesus, when she gave over her heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, so many years ago, Leah died to herself and was made anew in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Leah born anew though the redemptive power of our Lord Jesus Christ, lived among us, walked among us, and now, without any interruption, Leah lives and walks in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Leah Webster Peterson, our beloved sister in the Lord. You who are precious in the sight of the Lord: In your long life of 99 years you gathered more friends and touched more lives than any of us will ever know; We now place you in the care of our Lord Jesus Christ. Leah, may you find peace, may you find joy and may you be surrounded by the love of so many friends as you were here in Anchorage Alaska. Amen.
Special thanks to Rick Gillespie- Mobley for some great concepts for funerals.
