Jimmie Gene Gideon
Jan. 30, 1959 Feb. 25, 2021
Jimmie Gene Gideon, 62, of Anderson, Mo., died suddenly Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. He suffered a massive heart attack while opening a grave at Noel Cemetery.
He was born Jan. 30, 1959, in Neosho, Mo., to Kennith and Leatress (Leuellen) Gideon. He was a lifelong area resident and a 1977 graduate of McDonald County High School. He furthered his education at Missouri Southern State College in Joplin, graduating from the Police Academy. He served as a McDonald County Sheriff’s deputy, drove a school bus for the McDonald County School District, worked for the city of Granby, was a talented plumber and heavy equipment operator and owned and operated “Got It All” Auction House in Anderson. For the last several years, he assisted his father in the grave opening business. He enjoyed woodworking.
A brother, Noah Wayne Gideon, preceded him in death.
Survivors are his two children, Tiffany Newhard (Kennith), Matthew Gideon (Sabrina) all of Anderson; seven grandchildren; his parents, Kennith and Leatress Gideon of Anderson; and a sister, Teresa Carlin (Larry) of Stella.
Funeral services were held graveside Monday, March 1, 2021, at Tracy Cemetery with Pastor Derald Compton officiating.
Online condolences: website www.ozarkfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements were by Ozark Funeral Home in Anderson, Mo. (Derrol) all of Noel; and 14 grandchildren.
Funeral services are 10 a.m. Friday, March 5, 2021, in the Noel Chapel of the Ozark Funeral Homes with Edward Tweedy officiating. Burial will follow in Butler Creek Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Thursday evening from 5 to 7 p.m. in the funeral home chapel.
Online condolences: www. ozarkfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements are by Ozark Funeral Home in Noel, Mo.
We are in the Lenten season, a time of reflection and preparation as the celebration of Easter draws near. As we follow the life of Jesus, especially the last few weeks, we see Him living out the statement He made in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” He served not only His disciples, but anyone who came to Him for healing, direction and salvation.
As Jesus is sharing the last meal with His disciples He does a most humble thing, He washes their feet. John 13:5 describes this humble event, “After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”
The one who is greater than all was gladly washing the feet of another. To some this may not be a big deal, but to someone who has washed a good number of feet as an aide and a nurse, it is. The disciples’ feet were probably not nice and clean like ours. They walked dusty or muddy roads in sandals, so I am guessing they were pretty dirty. Christ takes their dirty feet and washes them, cleanses them. He was demonstrating how the disciples were to serve just as He was serving them. “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:14-15.
Jesus, our Savior, humbled Himself to do a servant’s job. He didn’t claim He was too good to do the task, or think it beneath Him. He set an example for the disciples and for us. If our Savior was willing to wash others’ feet, then we must do the same. We must adopt a servant attitude just as Jesus instructed the disciples to do..
Have you ever avoided doing something because you thought it wasn’t your job or thought you were too important to do it? Maybe it was emptying the trash in your office or cleaning up a spill in the hallway at school? It might have been cleaning up after a church function or even taking your trash to the receptacles at a sporting event? No job or task should be too small, unimportant or disgusting for us to do. We are here to serve and share with others, to show love and compassion in whatever way is needed just as Christ did.
Christ never balked at serving others. He didn’t hesitate to heal the lepers, wash dirty feet, or feed the masses and neither should we. Christ shows us how and expects us to be a servant to those around us. As we are in a season of reflection and preparation, think of your service to others. Do you have a servant attitude, do you see a job and do it no matter how dirty or disgusting it may be? How can you prepare yourself to have the servant Christ desires? Reading the Gospels is a good place to start.
What can you do today to serve someone? It may be as simple as helping someone put groceries in their car, doing a load of laundry for a neighbor or mowing an elderly person’s yard. No task is too menial to show others the love of Christ and set an example for them.
Jodi Hendricks is a longtime member of Farmington United Methodist Church in Farmington, Ark. She teaches adult and youth Bible classes. Opinions expressed are those of the author.