Our brother in Christ, Lester Headley, died November
10, 2007. He was a faithful Christian. He and his wife Nonie,
who died September 21, 1998, faithfully served the Lord and his
church at Salem from its beginning in 1954. It was far better
for them to depart and to be with Christ, but their leaving has
been far worse for us. Philippians 1:23, 24. We rejoice in the
hope in which they lived and died.
When we moved to Salem in 1982, Lester drove the
large Ryder truck. Because of my schooling and my work, this was
the twelfth time Nancy and I had moved since our marriage in 1965.
Along the way, Lester stopped at a large restaurant and insisted
on buying a fine meal for us. He wanted to tell me that the next
move he wanted me to make was my move to heaven!
As I became more acquainted with Lester, the more
I learned to appreciate him. He told me a story that I will always
remember. During WWII, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corp in
England. One day he was not able to participate in a scheduled
bombing run over the continent of Europe. That flight did not
return; it was shot down and the crew was killed. Lester wondered
why he was spared; he did not know. I have wondered, too, and
I do not profess to know. I do know this: his family, friends,
neighbors, co-workers, and the Lord's church at Salem are so very
thankful that he was spared!
There is nothing that I know of concerning the
Lord's work at Salem that Lester's "finger prints" are
not on. He served as a trustee of the property from the very beginning.
He served as the treasurer of the church for many years. Lester
tried to do the work of teaching Bible classes but could not do
it. James 3:1. However, he was the best friend and supporter any
Bible class and its teacher ever had! He loved Bible study. He
always had his lessons read and prepared. He actively participated
in class, and his comments were always to the point and useful.
During our first years here, we conducted five or six annual door-to-door
works throughout our city and into our area of Harrison and Doddridge
counties. Lester was there and ready to help.
During the years of Lester's membership in the
Salem congregation, a new church building was built. Someone said
Lester drove the first nail! Brother Bob Gross designed the building
and the men of the church did most of the work. Later, a new preacher's
house was built. Lester was a highly trained and qualified service
man for the Hope natural gas company. He could fix and do just
about anything! He kept everything here running smoothly and in
top repair.
When we began this work with West Virginia
Christian in 1993, Lester was one of our first and greatest
supporters. He purchased subscriptions for family and friends.
One of his last concerns just before he died was whether we had
gotten the November issue ready to be mailed! He was so disappointed
that he could not help with it. He helped with all the rest! He
had large, workman's fingers and hands, but he used those hands
so faithfully and delicately in folding and sorting those papers.
Every year, up until last year, we printed the annual West Virginia
Christian Lectureship books. Lester was there with me hour-after-hour
and day-after-day until we got them done. I was amazed how so
well he could handle those hundreds and thousands of sheets of
paper with his large hands.
Lester's life was spared during WWII. In 1954,
he devoted his life to serving the Lord in this congregation.
Is it too much to believe that God spared Lester's life so that
he could do the many things he did? Is it not true that our lives
have also been spared in the great sacrifice that Jesus Christ
offered upon the cross for our sins so that we, too, might present
our bodies as living sacrifices, devoting our new lives to serving
Him faithfully? Romans 12:1, 2; Galatians 2:20. Editor.