Recently, the ground beneath Cory and the boys’ ordinary days gave way, as it sometimes does in a life that has never promised to be gentle. In one instant, Cesilie was taken from them in a car accident, and the song that carried their family through common days faltered. The melody did not end, but it trembles now as Cory and their four sons learn how to carry it forward without her.

Cory and their four boys ages 13, 11, 8, and 6, are facing the sudden loss of Cesilie, but also the very real responsibilities that follow such tragedy. There are funeral expenses, everyday needs, education decisions and expenses (Cesilie homeschooled the boys) and the long road ahead as they learn how to move forward without the wife and mother who held so much of their world together.

Cesilie once wrote of Cory that, second only to Jesus, he was the best decision of her life. She called him her first choice, her favorite human, her home this side of heaven. She spoke of love not as a feeling that visits, but as a life that is chosen and kept. That love shaped their home and now breathes on in the four boys they raised together, and in the life Cory now carries forward with a love that keeps watch and a will that does not surrender, even in the ache and absence of Cesilie, the woman who loved them with her whole self.

Those of us who loved Cesilie find ourselves drawing close, hands finding hands, shoulders leaning into shoulders, because a grief of this magnitude teaches us we do not endure alone. And because we love her, we will love what she loved most, her family. We are asking you to step in and help carry what feels too heavy for one family alone, surrounding Cory and the boys with with provision that meets the need and prayers that keep watch in the long days ahead.

Lord, be near to them in their broken hearts. As they walk through this valley, remind them that they do not walk alone, for You are with them. Let them feel, even in the dark, that underneath and around them are Your everlasting arms. Remind them that nothing, not even death, can separate them from Your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Wipe every tear from their eyes, and keep them tight in Your care.

Funeral information: The funeral will be held on February 26 at First Baptist Church O’Fallon, IL. Visitation is from 10 AM to 1 PM, followed by the funeral service at 1 PM, officiated by Pastor Doug.