1. Celebrating The Life of Lawrence Mckinley Dillard Sunset: May 22, 2010 Sunrise: September 20, 1947 Homegoing Service Thursday, May 27, 2010 2:00 p.m. Chestnut Grove Baptist Church 8825 Chestnut Grove Road Esmont, Virginia 22937
2. The Service Processional. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Presiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Dorn H. Lewis Hymn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Choir Scripture Old Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prayer of Consolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hymn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Choir Acknowledgements, Resolutions & Obituary (Read Silently). . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Dawn Johnson Church Clerk Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Choir Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Choir Eulogy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Lewis Hymn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Choir Benediction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recessional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A Graveside Service Will Be Held 1:00p.m. Friday, May 28, 2010 Greenlawn Memorial Park, Chesapeake, VA Rev. Kirk T. Houston, Officiating The family will receive friends immediately after service in the lower level of the church. Smile Because I Lived You can shed tears that I am gone or smile because I lived, You can close your eyes and pray that I will come back, or you can open your eyes and see all that I have left. Your heart can be empty because you can’t see me, or you can be full of love that we shared, You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. You can remember me and only that I am gone, Or you can cherish my memory and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn back, Or you can do what I would want: Smile, open your eyes, love and go on. Acknowledgments We thank you for the love shown during this difficult time. Your prayers, phone calls, flowers, cards, gifts and other expressions of sympathy have helped make our burden lighter. We thank God for each of you and pray that He will keep You in His Care! The Family Arrangements Entrusted To: Thacker Brothers Funeral Home Valley Street Scottsville, Virginia
3. When Tomorrow Starts Without Me When tomorrow starts without me, and I'm not there to see, if the sun should rise and find your eyes, all filled with tears for me. I wish so much you wouldn't cry, the way you did today, While thinking of the many things we didn’t get to say. I know how much you love me, as much as I love you, And each time that you think of me, I know you'll miss me too. But when tomorrow starts without me, please try to understand, that an angel came and called my name and took me by the hand, and said my place was ready in Heaven far above, and that I'd have to leave behind all those I dearly love. But as I turned to walk away, a tear fell from my eye, for all of life, I'd always thought, I didn't want to die. I had so much to live for and so much yet to do, It seemed almost impossible, that I was leaving you... I thought of all the yesterdays, the good ones and the bad. I thought of all the love we shared and all the fun we had... If I could relive yesterday, I thought, just for a while, I'd say goodbye, then kiss you ‘til I saw that special smile. But then I fully realized, that this could never be, for emptiness and memories, would take the place of me. And when I thought of all those things, I might miss come tomorrow, I thought of you, and when I did, my heart was filled with sorrow. But when I walked through Heaven's gates, I felt so much at home. When God looked down and smiled at me, from His great golden throne, He said, "This is eternity, and all I've promised you. Today your life on earth is past, but here it starts anew. I promise no tomorrow, but today will always last, and since each day is the same day, there's no longing for the past. But you have been so faithful, so trusting and so true, though there were times you did some things you knew you shouldn't do. . But you have been forgiven, and now at last you're free, So come and take me by the hand, and share my life with me." So when tomorrow starts without me, don't think we're far apart, for every time you think of me, I'll be right there - in your Heart. Obituary Lawrence MckinleyDillard, 62, of Virginia Beach, VA departed this life peacefully at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital on Saturday, May 22, 2010. He was born September 20, 1947 in Esmont, VA, son of the late Catheleen Toledo Dillard and George Grant Simpson. He was a baptized member of the Chestnut Grove Baptist Church, Esmont. Lawrence served in the U.S. Army and was Honorably Discharged in 1969. He was a 30 year employee of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and retired in 2007 due to his failing health. Lawrence was also a past Master Mason of Brighton Rock Lodge #133 – Prince Hall in the Tidewater Area. He enjoyed life and didn’t let much bother him. As a matter of fact, he was so laid back that his friends nicknamed him “Harry Hippie.” Lawrence loved and cherished his family. You could always hear that big ole contagious laugh as he enjoyed good times with family and friends. He liked working crossword puzzles and watching TV Land. Being an avid fisherman, he always found time to visit his favorite fishing spot at Rudee Inlet. He was a man who enjoyed a stress free life, and God used his illness as a life changing experience that touched the lives of many. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his mother-in-law, Bertha Weaver, and father-in-law, Edison Weaver. He leaves to cherish his memory a devoted wife of 32 years, Alethea Dillard; two daughters, Shanell and Eboni; two sons, Kelvin (Angela) and Tory; eleven grandchildren, Ashley, Jordan, Danielle, Raven, Miranda, Tory, Amya, Adrianna, Daijsha, Isayah, and Kamari; one great-grand-child, Janiyah; five sisters, Marion Rush, Louise (Curtis) Feggans, Doris (Maxwell) Morris, Cora (Marshall) Anderson, and Rebecca (Martin) Rush; two brothers, Herbert (Doris) and Terry Dillard; three sister-in-laws, Natalie Cherry, Angela Epps, and Phyllis Hurdle; three brother-in-laws, Dana and Derrick Weaver, and Ervin Epps; a mother-in-law, Alberta Weaver; two aunts, Catherine and Florence Dillard; a “sisterly” cousin, Nancy Porter; a best friend who was close as a brother, Al Ford; a special cousin, Eliza Anderson; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Revelation 21:4
