God Bless Fr. Lerch

I usually don't read the obituaries in the newspaper, but Monday night, when I was finally getting around to reading Sunday's paper, I happened to glance through them. To my surprise, I saw a name that I recognized - I guess I was meant to read them by chance on Monday. The priest who married Mark and me back in 1998, Fr. Lerch, died last week and his funeral was yesterday.

I believe we were the last couple he married. Our wedding was Dec. 12, then he was retiring from the parish at the end of the year. Obviously, as a priest, he was never married, but he was very close to his family and his obituary listed that he had 10 nieces & nephews and 27 great-nieces & nephews. A more detailed obituary about his life appeared in today's paper. I had just assumed he died of old age, but he was diagnosed with colon cancer last year and was only 77. How wonderful to have such a rich and full life and to have people say wonderful things about you in the end. God Bless Fr. Lerch.