A eulogy is simply a speech or writing that praises someone highly. We would like to share the other eulogies given at Katie's celebration service. The first is from her dear friend, Thessa. The second is from another close friend, Carly. I loved what they shared about Katie, having known her so well. Additionally, at the bottom is a link to the sermon presented by Andy Tuel at River Ridge Church on the Sunday following Katie's death. It is titled, "What to do on the worst day of your life."
I hope that you may find each of these to be as much a blessing to you as they were to us. Thessa “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” -Proverbs 18:24 This verse is an accurate description of my friendship with Katie. We were sisters and she’ll always be my sister. Katie always said that we just clicked as friends and that is the truth. I was instantly comfortable with her. We could talk about anything, and trust me we did, but we could also do nothing for hours and hours. If I was at home with a clear schedule, I was more than likely at Katie’s house or she was at mine. Whether we were playing gaga ball on the trampoline out back or chilling in her room watching the Ellen Show, we felt complete together. When it snowed we played in it for hours. We would go on hikes in the woods, and sledding in the Kuhl’s and Rick and Dottie’s yards even though we probably weren’t allowed to. If you knew Katie, you’d know that she hated vegetables. Well one day she said, “Healthy people eat salad, and I want to be healthy, so I’m going to eat salad.” So she gradually started eating salad. It lasted for about a week, and then, you called it, she decided that she couldn’t eat anymore than 6 pieces of lettuce and 2 baby carrots. Katie and I agreed about most things, but I never understood how she didn’t absolutely love chocolate. She did, however, love Aldi’s salted caramel ice cream that had chocolate truffles in it, and she made me eat all the chocolate, and she ate all the ice cream. Katie was a servant of Christ. She loved to serve the people she loved, and the people she loved the most were her family. I always referred to her parents as Mr. and Mrs. Cobb but, Katie never wanted me to. She would even say just call them mom and dad, but right now for this moment it’s going to be Chad and Sarah. Katie would want me to speak to each of you and make sure you know what she treasured about each of you. Chad, one of Katie’s favorite things about you was your Saturday morning pancakes. She loved the fun of your flip of the pancake and the challenge of catching it. We would also like to laugh about our dads being so grouchy after their Sunday afternoon naps. Sarah, Katie’s favorite thing about you was when you would take her shopping even though you really don’t like shopping. I always thought Katie had beautiful hands, and had never noticed this before but Katie’s hands reminded me so much of your hands. Aaron, Katie’s favorite thing about you was when you would stand up and play video games because you said you were trying not to be lazy. You’re a great big brother, and I know Katie would agree with that. Ben, Katie’s favorite thing about you was how responsible you have always been. We would always laugh and say you were probably more responsible than all of us combined. Your eyes and smile, Benjo, remind me so much of her eyes. Annie, you and Katie were outnumbered by the crazy boys in your house but you guys sure stuck together. Katie’s favorite thing about you, Annie bananie, was your wittiness and sense of humor. You gave us some serious knee slappers, girl. Daniel, Katie’s favorite thing about you was your absolutely adorable dimples. She always said that you were the cutest kid on the planet, but that she was a little biased. And last but not least sweet Sophie dog. You brought Katie so much joy whether it was your puppies or just being Katie’s little “Fofie”. Each of you feel like my family, and I know that you guys always will be like my family. Katie, if you can hear me, I just want to tell you that I love you so much and I miss you so much now and always will. You will always be my sister, and I thank you for the best 6 years of my life. I will treasure my memories of us always. You served Your Savior so well, and now you can say: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished my race, I have kept the faith.” -2 Timothy 4:7 Carly To those of you who don’t know me, I’m Carly Brady. The Cobbs adopted me into their family at the age of 21 when I moved up here as a newly-wed medical student feeling totally unprepared for life. I was sort of at a funny age, in between Katie and Sarah, still a kid trying to figure out how to be an adult. None of us really knew where the mentor/friend lines got drawn or who specifically I was visiting when I would come over. To be honest, they just felt like sisters to me. Unfortunately, I had to leave the nest a few years ago when my husband and I moved for me to complete my training. But I’ve stayed close with the Cobb ladies, especially over the past year. Now I’m a certified Emergency Physician, and I’ve never felt more underqualified than I do standing here before you today. One thing I know for sure though, I tried to write this multiple times and any time I started writing something too sad I could hear Katie’s voice in the background, “Carly, that’s depressing.” Katie was a lot of things to a seemingly infinite number of people. I think that’s incredibly evident here today. We all have a few stories that will remain forever in our minds, or one thing.. one place.. that when you walk past it will always scream “Katie” at you. Of course there is a special group of people who I know will carry these memories around in their hearts for the rest of their lives because Katie will always be their sister and they will always and forever be the Cobb 7. When I asked Aaron, Ben, Annie, and Daniel what makes them think of Katie I got a few different answers. Some you would expect, like volleyball or the color purple. Others were details that I guess you only learn as a sibling, things like “She had a serious love for fuzzy socks and blankets, Huskey’s cake batter ice cream, and the song ‘Popular’ from Wicked”, or “She had a special soft spot for dogs, particularly the ever-faithful Maggie and Sophie.” “She really hates Scooby Doo and chocolate.” My favorite was a short story that involved a young Katie Cobb with a passion for Disney princesses, a Cinderella movie constantly on repeat, and brother who still maintains his innocence. We may never know how that disc ended up scratched. Will we, Aaron? For me it is a silly memory from a few months back when we came up to visit. Annie Cobb convinced us all that we needed to learn double dutch in the back yard. For those of you who don’t know, Annie is very good at convincing. So there we were on the back patio of the Cobb house, Sarah Cobb included, with everyone doing really bad double dutch. Despite the fact that we all knew she did not feel up to it, Katie agreed to jump on in. But here’s the thing, I would have expected nothing less. That girl loved and lived fiercely. Not in the loud, brash sense but in a humble, quiet, and amazingly strong way. Within the last few months she has been seen doing back flips, gone snorkeling in Hawaii, and swam with dolphins. Katie Cobb was a girl who knew how to live. This last year was really hard, and honestly Katie wasn’t one to talk much about it. At first I thought it was because maybe she didn’t understand how sick she was. But eventually I realized that she chose to dwell in the goodness. Of all people, she was aware of the brokenness in this world, but she made a conscious effort to smile. Not as a facade, or a way of pretending that things weren’t happening, but because she wanted to choose to celebrate. And that is what we are here to do today: to celebrate all the goodness that there was in Katie Cobb’s life and especially to remember that smile. When I look back, she really was quite mature. I was 14 when I began to wrestle with the idea of God. Whether He was real ...how I could ever know… and how to believe in something I couldn’t see. Ultimately, it was the night sky that led me to Him and his greatness. The beauty, the complexity, and the vastness of the heavens was really how I began to come to know and eventually love the Lord. Isaiah 40:26 says “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” But I would be lying to you if I said I hadn’t had some long talks with God about how He could let this happen. A few nights ago I was walking out of the hospital looking at the night sky when God taught me something new. The heavens have spoken to me my whole life, but there has always been one thing that is my favorite. I’m from small town WV and we lived on a 100 acre farm. The night sky there is just exquisite. It is so clear you can usually see a couple shooting stars per night. But sometimes, if you are lucky, you see the one. A shooting star so bright that it lights up the entire night sky. As it arcs across the heavens, it leaves a burning track where it has left a change on everything around it. When you close your eyes, even after it is gone, you can replay it over and over in your mind. But one thing is for sure, it never lasts long enough and you always wish that more people could have seen it. A lot of people think shooting stars are for wishes, but whenever I saw one of those I would think, only God could have made something so beautiful, so amazing, and so full of Him and fit it into such a short period of time. Katie was a shooting star. Quiet but fierce. Burning bright and with such beauty and intensity that she left a trail of change behind her. Her smile, like the star, is seared into my mind and forever burnt into my memory. But our time with her was oh so brief, and we are all left here thinking, I wish that could have lasted just a little longer. However, one thing is for certain. When I look at her life I see something so beautiful and so full of Him that I say, only God could have made you Katie Cobb. Only God. Andy http://riverridge.org/tv/sermon/what-to-do-on-the-worst-day-of-your-life/ Blessings, Forever Cobb 7
1 Comment
Susie Smith
10/29/2017 09:48:48 am
I never knew Katie Cobb but then on the other hand I feel like I did, I know she left quite a legacy, my grandaughter Aspen Truman ( Hurricane middle school) felt like she needed to do something for Katie. So she talked to her principle to see how she could honor Katie. And since then she has started having bible study at school and this past Friday She and a friend had a prayer meeting in a back yard 18 present 12 got saved....IMG_0872.mov
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