Felicia Lynn RuppOctober 5, 1998
Felicia had a lot to teach us in her 13 years of life and teach she did.
She was a shining example of love, determination and courage.
As we contemplated how to honor her when she died, we decided
to call our funeral service "A Celebration Of Life".
It was held in our church and attended by family, friends,
Felicia school mates, and caring members of the community.
The sanctuary was filled with purple balloons, one of Felicia's favorite colors,
and among the 400 people in attendance were MAKE-A-WISH Foundation Clowns!
Felicia enjoyed the clowns at every Foundation event we attended
and they were happy to come help celebrate Felicia's life.
The service opened with a greeting and a hymn and then the Seventh and Eighth
Grade Ensemble of the Ephrata Middle School, made up of Felicia's
friends and classmates, performed the song "Amazing Grace".
As they sang, it was as if Felicia was there singing with them, although she
never had the chance to join the chorus in school.
Then it was time for the Testimonials.
First was Mr. Thomas Legath, Principal at Akron Elementary School,
where Felicia spent grades 1 through 5.
Click HERE to read his testimonial.
Next was Mr. Paul Sellers, Language Arts teacher at Ephrata Middle School,
and Felicia's sixth-grade homeroom and team teacher. He had worked closely with Felicia
in sixth grade helping her make the adjustment from elementary school to middle school.
Click HERE to read his testimonial.
Then came Ms. Amy Tubbs, Felicia's primary nurse at Hershey Medical Center,
since Felicia's first battle against cancer in 1993.
Click HERE to read her testimonial.
Lastly, Felicia's dad, Kevin, added his powerfully moving and
inspirational testimony to his daughter.
Grab some tissues and click HERE to read Kevin's testimony.
After a few words from our pastor, we all listened the ALABAMA's "Angels Among Us"
and then the crowd filed out and headed downstairs for a pizza party!
You see, Felicia's craving all through her 1 week of illness before being hospitalized,
and continuing through her 9-week hospitalization was pizza.
She never got to eat any so we all ate it in memory of her!
The service was exactly as Felicia would have liked it, not without tears but with a lot of smiles.
Felicia will continue to touch our lives in ways we couldn't imagine on this night,
all the while looking down from above.
Click the Mailbox above to Email Kevin and Deanna!