NEW MEETING PLACE
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A Tribute to Mrs. Effie Bost
The Hickory Church of God International lost its eldest lady, Effie Bost, on June 3, 2010. This lady was so kind, gentle and humble that everyone considered her their friend. She had special relationships with all the children too. They looked up to her and enjoyed being around her. She made them feel special.
We believe Effie is at peace and is now awaiting the resurrection. Words cannot express our loss and she will be missed at Sabbath services for a long time. She and Clyde Bost, her husband of nearly 69 years, sang several times through the years at our Sabbath services. One special one they usually sang during the Passover season was “Christ Arose.” Another one I remember was “What A Day That Will Be.”
In memory of Effie, and in order to be close to the family during this sad time, Sabbath services were cancelled in Hickory on June 5th, and were combined with the Sabbath group, Crossroads Church of God in Statesville. Clyde and the rest of the Bost family joined us there for Sabbath services at 1:00 p.m. The folks of Crossroads are long-time friends of the Bost family and many in the Hickory CGI. Clyde and Effie attended this group at times when they were not able to come to Hickory for one reason or another. Laura, wife of Jeff, the youngest of the Bost family, is a member of that group. Needless to say, those folks had a spot in their hearts for Effie, too.
The Sabbath service was filled with mention of Effie’s life. Bill, the Bost’s eldest child, gave a talk about his mother and brought chuckles from the audience. He gave us his rendition of “Effie’s Rap Ditty.” It was really hilarious to see and hear Effie do this in person, and Bill did a pretty good depiction of it. This reminded us of just how spunky and humorous Effie could be at times. In the “Ditty”, she named each of her children in order with their year of birth. Bill said she had to formulate the Ditty so she wouldn’t forget her children’s names and their ages, since she had so many of them.
Effie loved her children so much. When they hurt, she hurt. When one of them made an accomplishment, oh how she rejoiced! I was very fortunate to be able to share her ups and downs, and she was a good listener and offered such good advice.
The pastor of Crossroads Church, Mr. Freddie Carroll, gave a sermon about life in general, the days between the day we are born and the day we die. He talked about how each of us makes choices that take us in varied paths. During this life, we meet all sorts of people and develop friendships and some of them really impact our life like the Bost family did to his. He was emotional when he spoke kindly of her and we felt his pain. He reminded us that we would see Effie again in the resurrection.
During the service, we sang songs that were special to Effie such as “In the Garden” and “Amazing Grace.” Janet recalled a time when her mother, Effie, was sick and they all gathered at her bedside and sang hymns. Most could not remember all the words to the songs, but Effie had not forgotten, and sang them right out! It sure was hard to sing these songs this day.
Shortly after the Sabbath service, the Church spread a large lunch for everyone present, which was donated by the Church, family, neighbors, friends, Ingle's management, Zimmer Co., New Bethany Baptist Church , Patsy Burnette and many others. It was very delicious. We shared laughter and tears with old friends, and mused over the many pictures the family had brought and posted on the walls and arranged on the tables. Effie was so beautiful and Clyde so handsome as newlyweds. There was a one photo that caught my eye. Effie was stunningly beautiful! She had been a star basketball player on the Taylorsville High School team.
Neighbors and friends came during this time to join us for a Celebration of Life at 4:00 p.m. Many heard of the great talk that Bill had given in the Sabbath service and wanted him to repeat it in the afternoon. Bill consented, though it was hard for him. It was just as special the second time. Afterwards, several family members shared some special times that they had shared with Effie. Jeff Byers, Janet’s husband, said she taught him that peanut butter and onion sandwiches were delicious! Barbara & David, another son, had put together a DVD of pictures that brought back many memories of Effie. Clyde played a hymn on his harmonica with Janet standing right beside him for support. This service was a great tribute to the “Miss Effie” we all adored.
On Monday, June 7th, we gathered in Stony Point Cemetery to say our final goodbyes. Again the family participated in the service. Effie would have felt so honored! The flowers the family picked out for the spray were pink, lavender and purple and reminded me so much of the colors she wore. Mike Nolen, pastor of CGI, gave a tribute about the hope that Effie held on to until the day she died. He encouraged us to know that our hope will stand on the day Jesus Christ returns to earth. Bill Bost, Fran Plunkett, Karen Jessup, and Carmen Garcia sang the verses of several hymns, "Amazing Grace" & "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again", accompanied by Clyde Bost playing the harmonica with everyone chiming in on the choruses. At the end, Clyde played his farewell to Effie, "The Taps" on the harmonica.
I am providing a link to Effie’s obituary. http://chapmanfuneralhome.com/obitBostEffie.htm
William Morgan’s Tribute to Effie
Addresses for the family:
Clyde Bost, 2433 Old Mountain Road, Statesville, NC 28625-1853
Bill Bost, 100-A Excelsior Drive, Connelly Springs, NC 28612 (e-mail: aubibost@yahoo.com)