Sheila and I drove to Demorest way up in Northeast Georgia today to attend Lavay's funeral. I was blessed to get to sing for the funeral and the graveside committal service. It was a wonderful day of celebration of Lavay's 93 years of humble service to his family, the community, and the Lord.
Here is a link to the video recording of the service.
The visitation started at two and the funeral at four. It was so good to see and talk with Lavay's children and grandchildren and to meet Robin's mom and brother and to meet a few others who have loved Lavay McCullough. The family had a computerized slide show of photos, as is common these days, with images from all phases of Lavay's life. They also had some individual framed pictures, Lavay and Gladys's wedding album, and a "Shutterbug" book of family pictures they had put togther for Gladys and Lavay several years ago.
I was particularly interested in these two pictures:
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In the wedding album was a picture of the wedding cake and several folks who helped at the wedding. I am not sure who the three girls to the left are, but that's my eldest sister, Janice on the right. I had not remembered that she participated at Lavay and Gladys's wedding. Ain't she pretty! |
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| This is a photo of Lavay (left) and his best friend of his teen years Bill Cummings. They graduated fron Rockmart High School together in 1948, the year after I was born. When I was a leader of the Floyd County Association of Educators and often seved on various county, district and state committees and conventions of teachers I got to know Bill and his wife Jenna Lee. I probably knew them for 25 years before I discovered that Bill had been a close friend as a teen with my first cousin Lavay! Bill taught for 30 years, aws president of the Georgia Association of Educators for two terms, and served in the Georgia House of Representatives for a couple of decades. Matter of fact, the road from Rockmart to Rome is now officially the "Bill Cummings Highway." Bill died in October of 2014 only a few months after Jenna Lee's death. His children and some of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren still live in the Rockmart and Rome areas. |
Rev. Al Gilbert was a college student when he became the youth minister at Sandersville Baptist Church where Rev. Lavay McCullough was pastor. Al officiated and after his welcome and opening prayer, I sang "How Great Thou Art", Lavay's favorite hymn according to his children. Then each of Lavay's three children spoke about their Daddy and, really, preached a short sermon. After leading us in the chorus, "Sweet Sweet Spirit" Al gave his own sermon. He spoke of what an humble servant leader Lavay was, how quietly studious he was, what a mentor he was.
I have always known that Lavay was a pray-er, but it was interesting to hear of his very dedicated prayer life. He rose every day to read the Bible, have a devotion, and pray for those on his many pages of prayer lists, including all his children and grandchildren by name, and each family of relatives, including the Shaws. This reminded me of the other very organized "pray-er" in my life, my mother -in-law. Sheila and I inherited a box full of notebooks that are filled with Mavis Matthews prayer journals. Lavay prayed with me the last two times I talked with him on the phone, at least. What a solace and strong support he and his prayers were to me and to my mother during her final illness. She loved him like a little brother.
At the very brief committal service in the cemetery only a couple of hundred yards from the chapel, Al spoke again briefly and I sang "Amazing Grace".
Afterward everyone was invited to the fellowship hall for a dinner of barbecue and all the fixings. It was wonderful to be reacquainted with some of these cousins that we have not visited with in a while and reminisce together about our Baird family relatives, especially Lavay, of course. We got some pictures, but I'm sorry that I missed Laura's husband Jose and Robin's mom and brother, and Rev. Al Gilbert.
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| The children of Lavay & Gladys: (l-r) Andy, Belinda, and Laura |
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| The children of Lavay & Gladys: (l-r) Andy, Belinda, and Laura |
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| Andy is the youngest of Lavay's kids. Here he is with his wife, Robin and their three sons (l-r), Drew. Luke, and Jack. |
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| Laura's four children with their Uncle Andy (l-r) Elizabeth, Clarissa, Joseph, Andy, Isaac. |
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| All of Lavay's grandchildren (l-r) Clarissa, Joseph, Elizabeth, Isaac, Drew, Luke, Jack. |
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| Andy's wife Robin with Laura and Belinda. |
LATER NOTE
Lavay McCullough
Andy and his two sisters said goodbye to their father one month ago. He died peacefully. After several months of struggling physically, he was ready to go home. 
I (Robin) find myself often enough reflecting on the early life of my father-in-law, Lavay McCullough. Like most who lived during the Great Depression, his family didn’t have much, materially speaking.
He once told me he never saw or ate an orange until he was ten years old. He carried a pail to school with lunch in it, consisting of a biscuit, a thumb hole in the center and grease/lard poured in the hole. With a smile, he commented that he was better off than his classmate who would bring only one walnut and a hammer.
Lavay's father tragically died in 1931 when he was two, so he had no memories of his father. Lavay was infected with polio as a toddler and though he recovered, he lived with the consequences of this virus for the rest of his life, walking with a pronounced limp. He didn't let it affect his outlook though. I knew his mother, Louise, in her later years. She commented one time that she never treated Lavay differently because of his seeming disability.
Out of necessity, at a young age, Lavay went to live with his grandmother while his mother resumed working at a cotton mill 80 miles away. He only saw his mother every three weekends. He told Andy he would get dressed up in his best clothes and wait for her to arrive for a weekend visit. He was afraid to get his clothes dirty so he would stand inside with his face pressed against the window waiting for a taxi to bring his mother he so loved.
He was raised not only by his grandmother but all of his extended family up through age 10 until Louise remarried. Lavay's family was/is a tight family, strong in their faith, hard-working, joyful, and loving.
This laid the foundation for Lavay’s life well lived… significant and serving many people both inside and outside the congregations he pastored.
As Andy and I have reflected on his dad’s life, one thing that stands out is his humility. He told Andy it could be difficult while leading church congregations not to let personal pride creep in. I don’t believe he ever succumbed to that temptation. Andy likes to say that Jesus never got lost in his dad's shadow because it was never about him. He worked as hard at churches with smaller congregations as he did those with larger ones. He never sought recognition or let his own lips praise him.
He related to and cared for those in humble circumstances, always.
In his last few years, both in assisted living and hospital stays, he would always take a personal interest in the lives of doctors, nurses, caregivers. He’d ask and remember where they grew up, how many children they had, and if they knew the LORD.
He spent long hours in prayer, studying the bible, and memorizing scripture. In November, while Andy was visiting him in the hospital, Andy offered to read Psalm 23 to him. No need. He quoted it. And told Andy he had a sermon worked out to give on this psalm. (Laura, Andy's sister, shared this sermon at his funeral.)
This humble love of the Lord and people were evident in all the stories Andy and his sisters recalled during Lavay’s funeral. All three children spoke; it was a very honoring service.
Pastor Al Gilbert, officiated the funeral and also spoke powerful words about Lavay’s influence in his life. Al, starting at age 18, was a youth pastor and associate pastor under Lavay's leadership for several years. Mentored by Lavay as he was launching out in full-time ministry, Al still carries those practical lessons with him nearly fifty years later.
Otis Lavay McCullough will be remembered for his way with words, his sermons, his interest in others’ lives, his knack for remembering details of peoples’ lives, his humor, his strong prayers, his diligent study and knowledge of the Bible, his humility, his good attitude, and his ability to press on.
Even as we miss him, we are convenient that he is now experiencing no sorrow or pain... And that he is leaping like a deer.
~ Robin & Andy
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| I sang "How Great Thou Art" for the funeral and "Amazing Grace" at the committal, as I did at Gladys's services in 2010. It probably sounds strange but it was a joy to get to sing these songs for Lavay and just to be a part of this celebration of a good man's life. This is the sweet thank you note that Lavay's son and daughters sent me. |
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