Andrew's Eulogy

I am reposting the eulogies that Jack and I gave at Chloe's service on January 6th. What follows is mine, and I will post Jack's in a different post.

Chloe’s Eulogy - Andrew

I did not know what to say up here, I guess because I thought that I would never have to eulogize my younger sister. I definitely did not think I would have to eulogize her at 21. The best way I could think, in the short hours between her death and now, to honor her was to share with you some of the things Chloe loved and some of the things I loved about Chloe, many of which are one and the same. I hope this can add some color as we reflect on and celebrate the beautiful life that our friend, girlfriend, daughter, and sister lived. This list is rambling, unorganized, and incomplete, but I think it represents Chloe. We’ll see if I am able to get through all of these, but here we go:

21 Things Chloe loved, 1 for Every Year She Lived

1. Chloe Loved Kids. If you needed a babysitter on the central coast, you would be hard pressed to find one more excited about watching your kids than Chloe.

2. Chloe Loved Cows. After indulging her dream of being a cowgirl during high school when she raised an award-winning steer for the Mid-State Fair, she never lost her love of the bovine.

3. I loved that Chloe would talk to people I did not want to talk to. Her extroverted nature saved me from many unwanted encounters with waiters when the food I had ordered came out incorrectly, even though I wasn’t going to say anything about it.

4. Chloe gave amazing gifts. I recently moved into a new apartment in a new city and she mailed me a box with some coasters, a new t-shirt, and a bag of coffee beans, a gift totally unasked for and dreamed up by someone excited to give to and love those close to her.

5. Chloe loved country music. Whether it was Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, or Cody Johnson, anyone with a twang was fair game for Chloe. This is one of the things me, her, and Jack bonded over.

6. Chloe loved California. Even after moving away to Georgia with our family, she could not resist the pull of the West Coast and came back to start her own life here.

7. Chloe loved mojitos. On those rare moments when all the Medlocks were under one roof, you could always count on Chloe to ask dad to whip up a little taste of island paradise.

8. Chloe loved her Pooh Bear stuffed animal she inherited from her dad. Pooh bear was often missing an eye and his arms held on by a few threads, but Chloe was not too worried about these minor cosmetic defects.

9. Chloe loved cheese. Mac and cheese, pasta Alfredo, queso dip. When we were younger, all Chloe needed for a meal to make her happy was a bit of cheddar.

10. Chloe loved to be warm. One year she got a Snuggie for Christmas and you would’ve thought she won the lottery from how excited she was about that gift.

11. Chloe loved to be physically close to people. She would sit down right next to you on the couch, even if there was plenty of space for her to have her own seat.

12. Chloe loved people with special needs. She got this love from her mom, and served with Younglife Capernaum in high school, seeing and celebrating the image of God in those who are often overlooked and undervalued.

13. When we were young, Chloe loved watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the Disney Channel on Saturday mornings, much to the disappointment of me and Jack, who always wanted to watch something cooler, like Rescue Heroes or Star Wars.

14. Chloe treasured and loved memories. She kept keepsakes from vacations, milestone moments, and things that reminded her of friends and family. She held on to our grandfather’s military dog tags for years after he gifted them to her, seeing in them a symbol of love and sacrifice for country and family.

15. Chloe loved making friends. When we moved to Atlanta before her senior year of high school, we all thought that we’d be worried if it were Jack or me trying to make new friends but we knew Chloe would have no problem with this. Sure enough, mere weeks into our time there, she was friends with our high school aged neighbors.

16. Chloe loved the beach. On our annual family vacations to Hilton Head Island, she would get up every day and march herself, usually on her beach cruiser, to the beach like tanning was her job.

17. Chloe and I shared a love of Lululemon. Every time my birthday or Christmas came around, I could count on a stylish new piece of activewear from Chloe. She even gifted me a Lululemon shirt for Christmas this year.

18. Chloe loved getting to be a big sister. She had been a youngest child through and through, but after we adopted our little ones, she loved the chance to be their big sister.

19. Chloe loved shoes. In her bedroom at our house in Atlanta, she had two closets and one of them was designated only for shoes.

20. Chloe loved Crystal Light Peach Tea. Those packets of magical water-flavoring goodness were a staple at our house. While you and I may start the day with a coffee, for Chloe that morning beverage was a tall glass of tea.

21. Finally, Chloe loved and was loved by so many of you here today. This community that welcomed us so warmly and shared so much of themselves with us left an impact on her, and on me, and on the rest of our family, that was bigger and more profound than many of you will ever know. Thank you for being a home for us, for teaching us and caring for us when you did not have to, for showing 3 young Medlock children what it means to be a follower of Christ in a community of dedicated believers. Chloe was the woman she was in large part because of this church and the people in it.

I’ll end with some Scripture that I think sums up the dual nature of the grieving believer. At once completely shattered by tragedy, angry at the God we love, nonetheless we do not grieve in vain. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Paul says “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise up first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”