By Bp. Keith Ackerman

Today we lost one of our dearest friends.  Well, we didn’t really lose her since she simply has preceded us in the journey.  But that was Lynn – always ahead of us – ready for the party – and where the fun was – always.

When I was the Diocesan Bishop and she was the Secretary – my biggest fear when she submitted her resignation just before I arrived was that she might be serious.  By God’s grace she was not, but I could never be “Lynn’s boss” – we were friends ministering to God’s people not only in the beloved Diocese of Quincy, but also to the Church nationally and throughout the world.  She was my good will ambassador, encourager, social director and friend.  When my wife was diagnosed with cancer in 1994 – there was Lynn, the encourager, making certain that at the Diocesan Synod that year, everyone wore a pink ribbon.  Today we all are wearing a pink ribbon and a red hat.

In the end, you can never lose a friend, especially if her middle name is “Joy,” but you gain an intercessor  in Heaven who prays for us who are left in this world awaiting the next.  Lynn died on the day when the Gospel is about Jesus’ walk to Emmaus, and Lynn and my wife, a few other pilgrims and I walked that road together one year.  Today Lynn’s heart burned as Jesus revealed Himself fully in the Word, and as she opened her eyes in the next world, she knew Jesus in the Breaking of the Bread.

One day many of Lynn’s friends will be in the Heavenly Jerusalem at the Heavenly Altar.  But today Lynn went on ahead: ready for the party – and where fun is – there is Lynn Joy.