From Ron Nolette, read at the Memorial Service

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
February 26th, 2010
It is extremely hard to write about the passing of your own brother. But how can it be otherwise? I’ve written about others and it is only fitting to write about Douglas.
This past week, when most of us gathered around Douglas at his bedside, we witnessed an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that I have never felt. As he progressed from talking, eating and drinking to sleeping and near unconsciousness, the love in that room from those present and from Douglas himself was overwhelming.
We took turns by his bedside, talking to him and telling him how much we loved him. One night, we got out a solitary hymn book and everyone in the room sang the hymns of the faith to God and for Douglas. We might not have always been in tune and maybe didn’t always know the words, but “we made a joyful noise unto the Lord.”
Invariably, many, if not most of us, would ask the question, “Why? Why Douglas? He is still young. He has served God. He had the correct balance of faith and works.” But one night, after the long drive from Shakopee, my wife pointed out some verses from Isaiah 57:1,2:
1 The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart;
the devout are taken away, and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.
2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace;they find rest as they lie in death. (NIV)This verse had such an impact on me! It was as if God was telling us why he was allowing this to happen to Douglas: “The righteous perish,” “the devout are taken away,” Why? “To be spared from evil.” Douglas will forever be spared from the evil of this world. No more crime, war, heartache, sickness, worry, financial woes. And he will never experience the loss of his loved ones. How blessed is he?Of course, that does not take away the grief that we all share - the deep loss we feel. But we will find comfort and solace in the Lord and in each other. And we will think of him every time a Twins game is played, every time some new flowers are planted, every time some one goes camping and all of the other things he loved to do. The memories, for a long time, will be bittersweet. But they’ll come a day when they are simply good memories.We can also take great comfort in the verses, I Corinthians 15:54-57
When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is your victory?”The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)We love you Douglas and always will. We will forever keep your memory alive.