MOUNT JULIET, Tenn. (BNc) by David Shannon — Opal Esther Ebest was the oldest member of the Mt. Juliet congregation. She was born on Christmas day, 1913. Her passing was just 11 days shy of her 99th birthday.

Her mind was still sharp, her eyes still sparkled, and her beauty had not faded. As a matter of fact, “beautiful” is a great way to describe Mrs. Opal. She loved beautiful flowers. While living in San Antonio, she had served as President of the Garden Club. Her flower gardens were the prettiest on the block!

Even as she neared 100 years old she continued to dress in beautiful clothing. While living at Providence Place the staff would often refer to her as their “resident fashion model.” They also would bring potential residents to see her room because it was always decorated and kept so beautifully.

Of course her greatest beauty was within. She loved the Lord, allowing Him to mold her inside and out into a beautiful daughter of His! She loved teaching Bible class and telling beautiful Bible stories. One four-year-old boy, after hearing her tell how beautiful Heaven was going to be, wanted to die right then so he could go there.

She passed the beauty of her Lord onto her family. She raised two beautiful daughters who are devoted to their Lord. One daughter, Sandra Humphrey, is a devoted member here at Mount Juliet. Her other daughter, Kathleen Harrington, from Montpelier, Vermont, has warmed our hearts as we were able to get to know her better during the last month.

Mrs. Opal loved to read, tell stories, support the Sudan Project and the world of wildlife, and smile.

We are going to miss this precious, beautiful, smiling lady. Between the ages of 86-94 she moved from San Antonio to Arizona to California to Nashville ,and she never stopped smiling and making friends.

I am so thankful that we were able to know and love this beautiful child of God. We love and miss her.

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