In memory of Teri (Mathis) Zenner

Where to start and what to say about Teri and her short life with us. My memories of Teri start even before she was born. My wife and I were very good friends with Barbara and Andy, Teri's mom and dad. We went to church together at Nall Avenue Baptist church in Prairie Village, Kansas. When Barbara and Andy brought Teri home from the hospital after she was born, we were there to greet them. What a wonderful time of joy and excitement as we thanked God for her.

As Teri grew she was full of life and energy. The more she grew, the more questions she asked. Teri loved life and wanted answers to all her questions. Learning was fun and exciting for her. We could also see that she enjoyed playing all types of outdoor activities, especially anything that had to do with a ball.

Barbara and Andy were both wonderful Christian people and parents. Both were very active in Church and based on their deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ, faith in Christ became the central focus point of their lives and family. Because of this focus and life style, Teri accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior at a very young age. It was at this point in Teri's life that she felt the hand of God upon her. She continued to grow in age, wisdom, and spirit. Teri just loved being around people and doing things for people. God was preparing Teri for her life's calling; that call was to serve other people. To help those who needed help the most.

Sports played a very big part in Teri's life. Teri fell in love with the game of softball. Andy spent a lot of time working with Teri, helping her to develop all of her softball skills, especially her pitching abilities. One of the most important lessons Teri learned while playing softball for her High School was the concept of teamwork and learning to be a team player. No single person is more important than the team. That lesson learned would help her later on in life when she entered her career field. After completing a very successful High School career at Olathe South High School, she received a softball scholarship from Missouri Southern University at Joplin, Missouri.

After graduating from Missouri Southern University she went to work for the Johnson County Mental Health Department as a caseworker. She loved her job. This was the job God had been preparing her for all of her life. The job of a helping other people, especially those who need help the most, those with mental health problems.

One day as Andy and I were talking, he told me he thought that Teri had fallen in love. Andy said he thought this just might be the man Teri was going to marry. I told Andy that I wanted to talk with this guy! A short time after this conversation, Teri gave me a call and asked me if I would marry them. To make a long story short, I fell in love with Matt also.

Teri had found her knight in shining armor and Matt had found the love of his life. In all of the years that I had known Teri, I had never seen Teri so happy and excited. So I had the privilege of marrying them. What a wonderful and exciting day that was. A day that I will never forget!

The kids had been married for just three short months before she was killed on the job trying to help one of her clients. Words can not express the hurt and rage this senseless act brought to so many people. Only time and God's grace and peace will help ease the pain of Teri's passing.

Now when I think about Teri, I see her walking the streets of Heaven with her Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. At the very moment Teri died she was ushered into Heaven by the awesome resurrection power of God almighty himself. Because of Teri's personal belief in Jesus Christ as God's one and only Son, she was adopted into God's family and became a child of God and she is more alive now than she has ever been.

In closing, I would like to share with you 3 Bible verses that I love and cherish.

John 3: 16 says; "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 1: 12 says; "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."

Romans 10: 9 says; "That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Your Brother in Christ!
Don Flack
Pastor of Grace Baptist Church
Gardner, Kansas