Kerry P. Krumm Hudson
August 14, 1954-October 3, 2008
John 10.1-18
Funeral on October 7, 2008
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Manasquan
On the day of her baptism, Kerry put on Christ.
In the day of Christ’s coming, may she be clothed in glory.
Thank you, Bob, Katie and Tom, for gathering the wonderful photos we saw in the funeral home yesterday. You allowed us to see Kerry as a child, as a proud graduate holding her hard-earned diploma, as a glowing bride in a Juliette cap, gazing into Bob’s eyes, as a loving mom cradling babies, as a happy visitor to the Magic Kingdom. We saw pictures of fabulous cakes she baked for a whole range of occasions: pink-and-blue baby bootie cakes for baby showers, heart-shaped cakes with beautiful rose borders for anniversaries, creative kiddie cakes for birthdays, and a set of wonderful cupcakes in the shape of Twinkies, that I think were decorated to look like doodle bugs, complete with feet and antennae J.
Kerry brought much love, talent, intelligence, efficiency, energy, creativity to everything she did. The only explanation I could come up with for how she could accomplish so much was either that God had given her more than twenty-fours in a day, or she slept just a couple of hours a night. We know what an incredible schedule she kept in recent years especially, serving as store pharmacist at Rite-Aid, then Shop-Rite, and maintaining her own business of reviewing nursing home charts near and far, including at the beautiful home of her dear Sisters of St. Joseph…. When Kerry wasn’t working, she was often volunteering, first with the Girl Scouts, then with our Holy Trinity family, as Confirmation Connection guide, ever since Katie and Tom were involved. Kerry and Bob have also been frequent Saints & Sinners adult fellowship hosts, par excellence.
Part of the reason Kerry is so well-loved is that, despite the fact that she was incredibly busy, she was always performing mitzvahs, little acts of kindness, for us. For instance, we all know how crazy the holidays are, how time is at a premium. Yet, at Thanksgiving and Christmas, Kerry or Katie or Tom would ring the parsonage door bell and hand me a home-baked pumpkin pie to take to my parents’ house in Florham Park, as my contribution to our family feast. I’d guess Kerry was the first one on the block to get her Christmas cards out, too. She was part of the threesome that organized the bridal shower of the century at the Grenville a couple years ago J. Kerry always made entertaining seem effortless. Only Katie and Tom know how many times their mom pressed them into service to clean the pool, set up the food tent, tidy the house, set the tables, before a Hudson family, Holy Trinity family, Cedar Avenue family get-together.
One of God’s gifts to Kerry was the delight with which she launched into so much of life. Other than Rae Starke, what adult has ever gotten more joy out of trips to DisneyWorld than Kerry?? Who ever found cheaper airfares or better accommodations?? Who could put a trip together quicker? The trips that Bob was able to accompany Kerry and the kids on were the best.
Kerry described Bob and herself as soulmates. He tells of how they met at Jersey Shore when they both worked there. Kerry met Bob’s dad, Avon, first. She was a favorite of his, and any electrical request Kerry had for the pharmacy was attended to pronto! When Bob was the electrician sent to carry out one of those projects, he was surprised to catch the pharmacist – Kerry –shooting rubberbands at him. The rest is history. This week is Kerry and Bob’s 27th wedding anniversary.
Kerry and Bob’s love and marriage have been life-giving in many ways, but the most joyful fruit of their union is Katie and Tom. These two young people who have been so well-loved by their parents, have both grown into loving adults. Beyond academic achievements like Tom’s graduation from Penn State and Katie’s near completion of EMT certification, these kids have been successful in returning their parents’ loving care. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read Kerry’s thank you note, published in this month’s church newsletter, you may want to pick up a copy or visit our website to read it. She praises her children for stepping up to the plate, day in and day out, and in a thousand ways caring for their mom and dad.
In that letter, Kerry also shared her deep and lasting love for Bob, and the increased empathy and understanding that her own illness gave her for the frustrations his physical disability have brought. One of her happiest days here at Holy Trinity, other than Kate and Tom’s confirmation days, was her and Bob’s renewal of vows in this sanctuary on their 25th wedding anniversary.
There is no higher praise I could give Kerry than to say she lived a life of faith-active-in-love. She served with joy and worshiped with reverence (even wearing a surgical mask when she had to). In that thank you note she wrote, Kerry said that a gift God gave her through cancer was slowing her down and opening her eyes and heart to the tiny miracles of life – mysteriously, she included the mosquito J. Kerry’s witness to the kids she raised at home and the kids she taught here at Holy Trinity was that gift of the Spirit we call “joy in God’s presence,” as well as strength in adversity, and trust in the Light even when she sat in the darkness.
Sometimes when a person dies, the family is mystified about what Scripture that person would have liked read at the funeral. That wasn’t the case here. Kerry had carefully chosen Bible passages and hymns for her mother Kay’s funeral, seven years ago. Bob, Katie and Tom chose some of those same hymns, some of those same readings, for today, knowing they spoke to Kerry. We’ve already mentioned how Kerry exemplified the advice Paul gave to Timothy, which Tommy read:
[P]ursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses…. (1 Timothy 6.11-12)
The photos we saw at the funeral home were beautiful reflections of Kerry’s past. The resurrected Christ on the cross which stood over her casket at Neary-Quinn reflects Kerry’s future. There’s a lovely new hymn, “Rise, O Church, Like Christ Arisen,” in which we sing, “Remember well your future.” Kerry’s future is not the interment of her ashes in a little cemetery up north. Kerry’s future, and ours, is eternal life. That would be an outrageous claim for us vulnerable, fragile, mortal sheep to make, except for the presence of a Good Shepherd who has laid down His life for us.
Kerry knew Him by name: the Lord Jesus.
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. (John 10. 3-4)
The Good Shepherd laid down His life on Calvary. He was raised from the dead by the love of the Father, by the power of their Holy Spirit. He who was called out of the tomb shall call Kerry, by name, out of the tomb of death. He shall call us as well. That is why we can say, for the believer, that:
Life is changed, not ended,
by death. Death is a threshold over which we step, not a final destination.
Kerry lived this life to the full. She squeezed every last drop of love and possibility out of every day. She lived until she died, trusting in the Good Shepherd to lead her even through the valley of the shadow of death, to paradise, God’s garden, a kingdom of light to which the Magic Kingdom can’t hold a candle. She’ll be there, ready to welcome us when the Good Shepherd leads us there as well. Amen
Pastor Mary Virginia Farnham