Text of Memorial Service

MEMORIAL SERVICE
James “Jim” R. Baker-Jarvis
(1950-2011)

Ahlberg Funeral Chapel
326 Terry St.
Longmont, CO 80501
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PRE-SERVICE MUSIC
Performed by: Jeff & Julie Oxenford (violin/guitar)
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WELCOME/GREETING
Rev. Lydia Ferrante-Roseberry

We are gathered here this afternoon to honor the life of James Baker-Jarvis, a life that ended tragically too early.

We gather because we need to be together in a time like this. A sudden loss leaves us shocked and bewildered. We need to feel the presence of one another, to be surrounded by people Jim cared for and loved, so that together all may acknowledge their deep sorrow within the comfort of community.

Setting aside this sacred time to be together – to be in the physical company of each other’s love - provides a reminder to you all that the journey through grief and recovery from this loss need not happen alone. It is good to be together.

Though we gather in sadness at this loss, a justified sadness that will linger, let this also be a time for affirming the kind of person Jim was – brilliant, curious, wild, and humble – so much so that he would not have wanted this gathering here in his honor.

Each of you had different relationships with Jim and his family. Each of you will experience this loss in your own way. Each of you will grieve this loss, and grieve you must. But you will also, over time, appreciate how memories, stories, perhaps a gesture, or word you hear yourself saying, will remind you of Jim’s influence on your life. This is the gift of immortality.

Today we are called not only to honor death, but also to affirm life – to affirm that your lives will continue, even in the face of death.

Let this, then, be a time for sharing sorrow, yes, but also a time of lifting up the beauty of a life well-lived, and celebrating the many gifts that Jim has left, gifts that transcend even death.

And so it is that we have come together.

Because we need each other in empathy and consolation.

And because we need one another in courage and wisdom

To face this loss

To celebrate this life

And to show our love and support for Jim’s family,

Those who knew him best, and loved him the most.

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POEM / PRAYER
Rev. Lydia Ferrante-Roseberry

I offer you this poem by Lew Sarett, in honor of Jim:

Deep wet moss and cool blue shadows
beneath a bending fir,
And the purple solitude of mountains,
When only the dark owls stir ---
Oh, there will come a day, a twilight,
When I shall sink to rest
In deep wet moss and cool blue shadows
Upon a mountain’s breast,
And yield a body torn with passions,
and bruised with earthly scars,
To the cool oblivion of evening,
Of solitude and stars.

I invite you now to share a moment of silence together.

Kahlil Gibran wrote:

When you are sorrowful look again in
Your heart, and you shall see that in truth
You are weeping for that which has been
Your delight.

As we face the death of one we love, we are reminded that we are part of a great mystery, which weaves the cycles of life and of death. We bow before this provider of the sun, and the rain, of mountains and valleys, of joys and sorrows, we gather in awe before these mysteries of life and death, as we commemorate the life of one who has crossed over into the unknown.

As you also now journey into the unknown territory of love and loss, of pain and separation, may you be reminded that these cycles of life are the way of the world.

May you feel the embrace of the greater spirit of Love in this, your hour of need.

May your hands and your hearts remain open in this most tender time.

May you find the freedom to let go of what needs to be released, through tears or words, and the support you need from others in the coming days, weeks and months.

And, over time, may you find the strength to integrate this loss and this life into your own continuing journey, so that the spirit of Jim Baker-Jarvis finds life through you.

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“ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE” (Kate Wolf)
Performed by Jeanne Wilson & Karen Amundson

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REFLECTION ON JIM’S LIFE
Rev. Lydia Ferrante-Roseberry

From an early age, Jim Baker-Jarvis was inquisitive, cheerful, and sometimes even downright mischievous. His love of science and figuring out how things worked was only paralleled by his love of the outdoors, of his family and of his dog, Sadie. Raised in a large family himself, Jim filled the family he created with his inquisitive nature and many outdoor adventures.

He was a child who was always looking for excitement, anywhere he could find it – from the local dump, one of his favorite exploration sites, to the family’s cabin at Silver Lake in Wisconsin.

If the world were to be divided into simplifiers and complicators, Jim was a complicator. He loved a challenge, be it physical, mechanical, mischievous or theoretical, and experienced life to the fullest because of it.

He and his brother Tom were their large family’s tricksters – they would do things like take ice cream out of the freezer, remove the bottom panel, empty it out except for one deceptive layer on top, fill it with water, and put it back into the freezer. I’m not sure how well that went over with the other sibs.

In high school Jim ran cross-country, and played on the golf and gymnastics team. In college, he studied philosophy, mathematics and physics. And always, always, he kept connected to the outdoors.

His brother tells of Jim doing a valve job on his car on an Alaskan highway. Instead of getting his car towed someplace, he hoisted the engine up into a tree, walked to town for parts, came back and did it himself.

During the energy crisis of the 1970s, Jim volunteered to “help” his brother and sister-in-law by converting their V8 to a V4. You can imagine the parts flying during this process, which, I’m told, didn’t seem to make a bit of difference in gas mileage!

He met the woman who was to be his life-partner, Karen Jarvis, in college, while they were both members of the University of Minnesota “Rovers,” an outdoor adventure and mountaineering club. Among other things, the two of them became avid canoeists. They had two children, Aquene, in 1991 and Duff in 1986, and family vacations often included their canoes. They canoed around the country and Canada together. The kids were so accustomed to canoe trips that as a small child, Aquene was known to fall asleep in a canoe, then topple overboard.

In addition to being a great outdoorsman and tinkerer, Jim was also a great scientist. He worked for NIST for 22 years, won many awards and traveled around the world for his profession. He received two NIST bronze stars and a fellowship with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He published more than 50 papers in different physics disciplines, including dielectric and magnetic measurements, microscopic electromagnetics and fracture theory.

Apparently, there were always equations running in his head, because family members would find them jotted down on pieces of paper all over the house – his brilliant mind was so busy. All this in the service of making the world a better place.

More recently, his chainsaw became his primary tool for tinkering, as he would often be seen with it on the 40 acres the family lives on just outside of Lyons.

Jim died suddenly on December 31^st in a tragic car accident, with Karen by his side, safe because Jim carefully maneuvered the car to the side of the road, even after his own injury.

There are many stories to tell about Jim, and others who knew and loved him will take the time to tell them during this service. Stories beget stories, and memories are kept alive by their retelling. All are welcome to share more stories about Jim at the reception.

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“TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME” (Bob Dylan)
Performed by Jeff Oxenford & Julie Oxenford-O’Brian (violin/guitar)

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SHARING
Eulogy by Tom Baker
Eulogy by Joe Baker
Eulogy by Bill Riddle
Other Family and Friends

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PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES – SLIDESHOW
Song: “Fields of Gold” (as recorded and performed by Eva Cassidy)
Song: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (as recorded and performed by Melody Gardot)

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CLOSING REMARKS
Rev. Lydia Ferrante-Roseberry

And so we say good-bye to the person of James Baker-Jarvis, but not his spirit, nor his accomplishments. Those live on in our lives and are passed on through the generations.

And now, as we prepare to end our formal time together, let us remember again those for whom this loss is greatest: Jim’s wife, Karen, two children Aquene and Duff, and all his siblings and their families.

May they be granted the strength they need to bear the loss,

the wisdom to find deeper meaning and understanding of life through the lens of this death,

and thanksgiving for Jim’s life, which touched them each dearly in its own way.

May both forgiveness and acceptance lead them to Peace.

May you all go in peace and be gentle with yourselves, taking from and giving to one another -- as you need and are able – the gifts of courage, wisdom, and gratitude for all that is our life.

Blessed be and Amen.

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CLOSING MUSIC – “FREIGHT TRAIN” (Elizabeth Cotton)
Performed by Jeanne Wilson & Karen Amundson

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BAGPIPE PROCESSION TO RECEPTION HALL
Robert Jarvis (Highland Bagpipes)