My mother, Dana Gisselman Beyer, was the only child of Harold and Lavera Gisselman.  She was born in 1945 in Wausau, Wisconsin during WWII.  The happy fact that Harold was an excellent typist kept him doing office work stateside for the Army Air Corp.  This made Dana’s life possible.

          Dana proved to be an intelligent student and earned her master’s degree in history.  She relocated to Harrisburg, PA when she gained a job with the PA State Museum.  It was in the archives that she met George Beyer, and the two were married in 1971.  They had two children.  I was born first and my brother, Jason, followed two years later. Dana made the most important decision to end her career at the Museum and stay home to raise us.  She became a Suzuki piano teacher and had many beloved students over the years. 

          In her senior years, her grandchildren became a priority.  She also attended Life Center semi-regularly for awhile.  I was with her when she asked Jesus to forgive her and live in her heart. She especially loved the women’s events. In April of 2015, I was told that I had to have a C-section after an ultrasound showed a marginal placenta.  I was devastated after planning a homebirth. I texted my mom the news, and she received my text while in a women’s meeting here at Life Center.  She stood up, interrupted the entire meeting and asked the ladies to pray for me.  When it came time for the C-section later in the day, I was at peace and Annalise was born perfect and healthy!

          She spent 8 years in her cute apartment at Brookdale Assisted living. She had us cover the walls with family photos, Areli’s photography, and her own art.  She took up adult coloring and had amazing skill despite her tremors.  She would give these away to bring joy to others.

          For Mother’s Day in 2019 I thought I would tell Mom all that I wanted to tell her and not wait until her funeral.  I will read some of it now.

“Dear Mom,

I don’t express my appreciation enough so here is my attempt to put into words my thanks and love for you.

        One time I was worshipping at church. I felt God’s love for me so strongly.  With that amazing affection swirling all around me, everything in the world felt well and at peace. I heard God say, ‘It is because I love you so much that I put you in the family that I did.  Your mom and dad were the perfect parents for you.’  I am thankful that you were just the mom that I needed and that your family line is full of gifts and blessings that have been inherited by me and my children.

        Most of my memories of my childhood are good memories.  I love the freedom we had to play in our house and yard and neighborhood, using our imaginations to create worlds of wonder and using our energy to run and climb and bike.  I loved our yearly trips to Wisconsin and our trips to Disney World and Yellowstone Park.  I loved that you were a stay-at-home mom.  I am thankful that you imparted to me your love of nature and music and children!  I find myself doing some of the same things that you did; when my children show me something they made in school I get so excited!  When they ask me a question about a word they don’t know or see a bird they can’t recognize, we look it up and have fun discovering the answer together.

        You have always been so encouraging and supportive of me.  Whatever interests I had, you encouraged them and allowed me to try them out.  Yet you didn’t hem me in and force me to do anything.  As an adult you supported me in mothering and homeschooling.  You have always loved each grandchild as a unique individual and never compared them to each other or put them down.  You poured love into them by teaching them piano, music, art, crafts, nature, and many other things.  Now you love them each by listening to them and getting excited about each hand drawn picture, each accomplishment.

        When I was little, Grammy was one of my favorite people in the world.  Now that I am older, she is still one of my favorite people.  She excelled in many admirable qualities.  Yet you have far surpassed her in a few important ways.  You support Jason and I and our spouses as adults and don’t criticize us or try to control us.  You offer unconditional love to all your grandchildren.  I think Grammy was beginning to do that at the very end of her life.  She certainly was a spitfire, wasn’t she? I think you have learned the secret of love and acceptance much sooner than she did.  She is smiling at your life and rejoicing in her legacy.”

          In 2021 God opened the door for me to talk with Mom about her funeral arrangements and wishes.  She was open and happy to talk.  She emailed me her wishes and random thoughts, and I will read my reply to her.

          “I love the fact that you want us to celebrate the best of your life!  That is what we will do!  Ecclesiastes 7:1 says, “…one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.”  I wondered about that when I read it a few years ago.  Births always are celebrated much more than deaths.  I asked Anne Stock about it, and she said it was because when we die, we will receive the reward for all the good things we have done throughout our lives.  That is true.  When a person dies, they enter the true life that God always intended for them to have, and He rewards them with treasures in heaven that will never wear out.  If we believe that Jesus took the punishment for our sins and died for us, and ask Him to forgive us, then His blood covers all our mistakes and failures and sins. All that remains is life and rewards for the good.  You have done much good in this life, especially pouring into your children and grandchildren.  I consider that to be the most important work!  As your children and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren live for God on this earth and do many good things, your eternal reward increases because you invested in your own heritage that keeps building and growing.  Your investment will keep on growing!  Once you are in heaven, you become part of the “great cloud of witnesses” as the Bible says, who are cheering on the faithful ones on earth to continue to pursue God and live out their destinies. I feel encouraged when I think of Dad and Grammy and Papa cheering me on because they are watching their own joy and treasures increase because we are all connected as the body of Christ.”

          Her last few months were difficult as she declined rapidly.  She was transferred to Oak Hill Village and seemed content to sleep most of the time.  She had lost the ability to move on her own or feed herself. When a nurse called me on December 21^st to say she wasn’t eating or drinking and was unresponsive, I wasn’t sure what to think.  Was she approaching the end of her life or was there something I or Oak Hill could do to help her? Chris and I went to visit her, and for the first time, I couldn’t rouse her or get her to sip water through a straw. I sat in her room and asked the Lord to speak to me. 

I opened my Bible to Romans 8:21 and read, “that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” I felt the peace of God and stopped lamenting her weakening body and started celebrating her quickly approaching freedom!

          Dana passed into glory on December 25, 2025. What a beautiful day for her to experience the gift of God that she never could have attained for herself. I am positive that it was her best Christmas ever!