Jere was a man of faith who strongly believed that “the Bible and the Bible only” could be trusted as a foundation upon which to base his beliefs. His Bible is well worn and heavily marked—a reminder that he spent much time studying God’s word. 

Morning and evening, seven days a week, he led his family in worship--a hymn, prayer, and devotional reading.

Jere's favorite hymn was "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"; his favorite scripture was I John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Jere put his trust in Jesus, and died with the assurance that all was right between him and his Savior.

A few weeks before he passed away, Jere wrote this poem:

Don't mourn for me as here I rest,
I'm now done with trial and test.
In the grave I'll silent be,
Until that golden day shall be!

Soon the Master will appear.
Those will be called who He holds so dear.
Then at last the trump will sound,
And we shall rise up from the ground.

We'll meet together in the air,
Those translated will be there.

.........................................................................

For an overview of Jere's beliefs about God and His love, see: http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/index.html

To see more specifics about Jere's Bible-based beliefs, go to:
http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/fundamental/index.html 

For free Bible study tools from one of Jere’s favorite ministries, see: http://www.amazingfacts.org

To view 90-second videos that relate Bible concepts to real life, visit:
http://vimeo.com/channels/didyouknow

Jere was grateful for 75 years of good health, having been in the hospital only once--at age 13 for an appendectomy. He was strong for his short stature, and had practiced a healthful lifestyle for decades. When he was diagnosed on September 7, 2012 with lung cancer (non-small cell adeno carcinoma) it came as a real shock.

Even so, his only symptom was a lingering cough as he continued life as usual into the autumn. He carried on with outdoor chores and would walk two or three miles briskly with no shortness of breath.

In early November, he caught an upper respiratory infection that set him back some. Then, on Sunday morning, November 18, he woke up really sick. He enrolled in hospice five days later. His health had ups and downs after that, but he grew gradually weaker.

In the final months, Jere was blessed to have time with those he loved. During November and December all five of his siblings visited to spend time with him. His son, Kent, who teaches English in Korea, was able to come and stay from January 1 to February 26 during his semester break. His daughter, Kathy, visited several times and her husband, David, came along for a visit in late January. His wife, Marilyn, attended him faithfully.

The caregivers from SolAmor Hospice were a wonderful blessing and provided such good care. Jere, in turn, shared his hope and faith with them. As he declined, he prayed that if he was not to be healed, he could go to rest. On Friday, March 1, he took a definite turn for the worse. That evening, Katie, his hospice nurse and close family friend, prayed as he requested--that he could go to rest soon.

The next day, Sabbath, March 2, he was especially tender and affectionate toward Marilyn, his wife. When he said with a sweet smile "Won't it be wonderful?" she said, "You mean when Jesus comes?" "Yes," he said. Shortly afterward he slipped into an unresponsive state.

Sunday, March 3, his daughter arrived from Florida shortly after 5:30 pm. At 7:15 that evening, Jere died peacefully with his wife, daughter, and nurse at his side. He sleeps peacefully in Jesus, awaiting the gift of immortality at the resurrection.