A Funeral... No, No, No!!! A Celebration

Everything was just beautiful! There were about 200 people that attended the services in Cottonwood this afternoon. Everyone in the family was there except Joel his wife and two daughters. Joel was here for 16 days attending to Tyree before her passing and was a tremendous help and comfort to us all. He and his family were unable to make it to the funeral.

When we arrived at 9:00 am this morning the church building was beautifully decorated with many of the flower arrangements that so many of you had donated. The front of the Chapel was filled with many different styles of daisies (Ty's favorite flower in the whole world). It made for a peaceful atmosphere and was very pleasant to be in the midst of vibrant beauty.

In an adjacent room, the casket was placed for the family and general viewing. Tyree was dressed in the simple elegance of the pure white temple garments and was laid comfortably in her casket with a noticeable peace filled look on her face. There were many tears shed while the congregation passed by and paid their final respects to the body that once housed the exuberant spirit of Tyree Corine Miller.

My Dad led the family viewing and prayer meeting. It was beautiful to meet together to support and love one another.

Everyone that came to the services would have rather not met under these circumstances, and we all tried to put on a happy face. But deep down we all had a little pain. We know that the pain is lessened through the power of the Atonement and we are made perfect through Jesus Christ. His peace was upon us today.

After the viewing the congregation moved back into the chapel where the program began at 12:00 noon. It was our goal to have the ceremony last less than an hour (If you know our family you realize this was not as easy as it sounds). Jason opened with a prayer. I spoke first and talked about Ty's life history. I tried to keep it pretty light, the way I think Ty would have wanted me to do it. I told several funny stories about us growing up and how we never fought(OK, that was a joke). I talked of many of our experiences as young adults, and I bore my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel.

Kathleen Holyoak wrote a special musical number which was performed by the young women of Ty's ward. It was as though the angels of heaven were among us as those beautiful words were being sung.

Following the song Erika got up and powerfully taught and testified of the power of the resurrection. She taught gospel doctrines that caused the spirit to burn within each of us. She also related a couple stories about Tyree and how even now through her passing she was continuing to bring people unto Christ. Erika testified that Tyree's spirit was no longer trapped in this mortal body, but was peacefully lingering in the realm of the spirits, embracing those that passed before her.

Chris followed Erika and after thanking the congregation for all they had done for him and his family gave unique insights to Tyree. He related several stories that told of how he and Ty met, how they both loved to serve others, and told of Ty's unquenchable desire to serve the Lord and the young women she serves so faithfully.

The final speaker was Bishop Merwin. He shared several scriptures and personal stories about birth, death, and the resurrection. He bore powerful personal testimony of the Savior and his mission. The spirit followed right behind his words to confirm his message to our hearts. Mom closed the meeting with a prayer.

Today was a special day. I will never forget it.

Travis