From Jamie

Flora's Story From Jamie

Jamie McKee (Flora's Daughter-in-Law)

     On August 28, 2011, shortly after 6 am, Jason’s phone rang. It was his dad. He told Jason that his mom was about to leave this earth, and that we should come to Joplin to the hospital and see her, if we could make it in time. We loaded the car, and got the kids out of bed and headed to Joplin.
We arrived just before 8 am, ready to say our goodbyes. We were met by family (Mark, Monica and Les) and friends (JR and Nancy Boegel, Terry and Peggy Weidert, and Craig and Leslie Hartman) who were there to do the same. When we walked in, Flora was lying in the bed, not moving or talking, and she wasn’t even awake. She was responding by a small grunt, a twitch of her closed eyes, or a slight squeeze of her finger. We were told to go up and give her a hug and say something to her, which we both did, and our kids, who were both previously scared of the oxygen tube she was wearing, gave her a kiss without any question. A few hours later, my mom and grandma, Beverly and WeJuan came in to say goodbye.
We sat around for the next three hours, visiting, reminiscing, waiting for her to take her last breath. At 11:10 am, Mark and Beverly were holding her hands, and she slowly let go of them both, then she tried to push the pillows out from under her head. Once the pillows were gone, she also took off the oxygen tube that she hadn’t been without for over two weeks. She started to stretch out, and raised her arms up passed her head. Jason and Mark were touching her arms, trying to comfort her, but it was evident that she didn’t want that. She kept pushing them away, and then she turned to one side, still trying to get away from anyone’s touch. She then turned to the other side.
She suddenly sat up in bed, with her arms propping her up, and her eyes slightly open. It was obvious to us that she was seeing heaven, so we started asking her questions about the things she was experiencing. We asked about the people she was seeing (she later said she saw her mom, Mark’s dad, my dad, the unborn babies, Brian Anderson, and of course Jesus). When asked about the streets of gold, she didn’t really give an answer to that.
This went on for about 20 minutes, and then she started to get out of the bed. We were asking her more questions about Heaven and she then said, “It doesn’t matter, you can’t hear me.”
We were all trying to keep her in the bed, to keep her safe, but she insisted that she needed to go around the corner. She had a catheter in, so Monica was able to unhook it from the bed just in time. Several of us escorted her to the bathroom, where she went in and shut the door. Mark told someone to open the door, so we could keep an eye on her, so Jason did that. After she returned to the bed, we were asking her questions. One of them was, why didn't you go to heaven? She said, “you wouldn't let go of me." She told us that God said her job wasn’t finished. He told her she had to go back and be a living testimony. She said that she had to get the catheter out so she could go share her story.
At this point, she appeared to be awake, but it was still obvious that her spirit was in heaven. Mark asked her, “Who am I?” to which she answered, “You’re bossy.” Jason followed, and she said, “You’re stubborn”. These two questions were answered with an authority that only God can give. She was then asked about Monica, and she answered “she’s my companion.” She continued saying Jamie has to "put up with Jason", Beverly is "my sister", Les "is fine", and her dad, Jake, is "my loving father."
As friends began to filter in, she would point to them and say, "they believe." At one point, the room was full with friends and family. When that was mentioned to her, she said, "yes and I don't want anyone to leave."
A nurse came in and Flora asked, "do you know where you're going when you die?" The nurse replied, "yes I do, I'm going to Heaven." The next nurse who came in didn't get by as easy. Her response was the same, but when Flora asked, "what have you done to secure that?", the nurse stood there in silence for a bit, then said "This is a lot to take in. Earlier today, I moved your lifeless body from one bed to another, and now you're sitting up talking to me?" Peggy interjected that if the nurse had any questions, she could talk to anyone in the room, and gave the nurse her phone number. Jason gave her a New Testament bible that was brought in just an hour or so earlier and told her to start reading in John.
For the rest of the day anyone who came in her room was asked about their destiny. She continued to have a boldness about her that only God could provide. It was evident that she was being a living testimony, just like God told her she needed to be.
      On September 12, shortly after midnight, Jason got the dreaded call again. He got me out of bed and told me about his phone call with his mom and dad. At this point Flora had a full oxygen mask on, which didn't allow her to talk very well.
Monica and her family had been in Joplin all weekend and they were headed home when they got the call. They went on home, packed more clothes, and then got back on the road. Jason and I were on duty in the boys’ cottage at the children's home, so we couldn't just pick up and leave.
At 12:30, the phone rang again. This time Flora wanted to talk to her kids. She was still having so much trouble breathing, and she didn't feel like the mask was helping, so she told Mark to take it off so she could talk. She was able to have a sweet conversation with both of her kids with their spouses listening in.
After that phone call, Jason said, "We need to go. I want to be there for dad." He called our supervisor to let her know what was going on. She made a few calls, and then let us know that everything was taken care of.
We packed all of our things, got our kids in the car and got on the road around 1:15. We pulled into Landmark hospital at 2:45. When we walked in, Mark was in her room alone. We hadn't told him we were coming, so he was surprised when we walked in. We gave our hugs, and then talked to her for a minute.
Kids are not allowed in the rooms at this hospital, so Monica was watching ours in the waiting room. After a few minutes, Chloe started fussing, so I made my way out to take care of her. Monica was in the middle of telling the hospital chaplain "mom's story", so when she finished, I told her to go on back.
For the next 30 minutes, my kids and I sat in the waiting room, watching TV and waiting. Around 3:40, Jason came out and told me that she went to be with the Lord about 10 minutes ago. A few minutes later, I looked up toward the sky and prayed, "Thank you God for not letting her suffer. Thank you for the new body you've given her. Thank you that she isn't struggling to breathe, and that she isn't hurting anymore. I pray that you will give us grace and peace."
     For the final two weeks of her life on this earth, she did her best to complete her task of being a living testimony. She had her struggles, but God continued to give her strength until her final hours. She was definitely an inspiration and encouragement to us all.