John S Sakelaris
To the Newman family: It is with sadness that I have discovered this obituary while on the internet. I am John Sakelaris, originally from Tulsa Oklahoma, now in Broken Arrow Oklahoma, and I remember your wonderful mother, grandmother, and sister from the 1969-1971 years when she was at Oklahoma University.
She was a wonderful young Christian lady at a time when I personally had many doubts about life. Her positive seeds were not wasted; a few years later I did come to re-embrace the Christian faith.
As an Greek Orthodox Christian I am also allowed to pray for the deceased: "Lord, this prayer is for the eternal blessing of Your servant Shirley who stood out as a positive messenger of Your Kingdom. We give thanks for her time among us. Please establish her in the mansions of the righteous and have mercy upon us all, forgiving us all. Amen.
The accounts in the obituary of her accomplishments and of her struggles were very touching.
I do know of grief from my own life, as I married a wonderful woman, Sophia, who passed away from breast cancer in 2001 after 22 years of marriage. We had two boys. I was blessed to remarry again in 2012 to another wonderful woman, Darlene. I understand that Darlene's great-grandfather was a Stewart from Uniontown.
May the Lord bless and guide all of you,
John Sakelaris [email protected]
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