I was sincerely touched with the following story when it was emailed to me and chose to include it in my website. I have recently received a letter from Ruth saying this story is written about her husband's grandmother Doretta Jakoby. She also told me of a couple inaccuracies that are now corrected. She ended her letter with the following statement... "Doretta Jakoby was a true lady, a wonderful Mother, Grandmother, and the most elegant person ever I have had the honor to love." Thank you so much Ruth for letting me know the true story. It is indeed wonderful to be able to share such an amazing womans story. I hope it touches as many people as it did me when I read it.
The Fork
There was a woman, Doretta Jakoby, who had been diagnosed with cancer and had been told there was nothing more they could do for her. So she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what she wanted to be wearing. The
woman also told her pastor that she wanted to be buried with her favorite bible.
Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.
"There's one more thing." She said excitedly.
"What's that?" came the pastor's reply.
"This is very important." The woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my left hand and my bible in the right hand."
The pastor stood looking at the woman not knowing quite what to say.
"That shocks you doesn't it?" The woman asked.
"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor.
The woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and functions where food was involved, my favorite part was when whoever was clearing away the dishes of the main course would lean over and say 'you can keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming. When they told me to keep my fork, I knew that something great was about to be given to me. It wasn't Jell-O or pudding. It was cake or pie, something with substance. So I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Something better is coming, so keep your fork too.'"
The pastor's eyes were welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good- bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better was coming.
St Bonafice Church in Peoria, Il was very important in her life and she attended regularly. Not only was married to Mike Jakoby in this church, and celebrated 62 years of marriage but all of her children were raised and married in this church as well. St Bonafice was also where her funeral service was held.
At the funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw her in the beautiful wedding dress she had worn when she married Mike, her favorite bible in her right hand and the fork placed in her left hand. Over and over the pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled. During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right.
So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you, oh so gently, that there is something better coming. Not just in death, but in life as well.
I'd like to give the credit of this story of great and deep love, (obviously shown by the fact that she was buried in her wedding dress) to Mike and Doretta Jakoby, who, just by being together for 62 years, show us all what love is supposed to be.
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