Today’s Illustration: Not That Unusual Of A Story

Who hasn’t heard this story before — Different names, but the same sad saga.

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Who: Cathy Boone, mother of two children, age 49.

Where: Cathy was living on the streets, as well as at a warming shelter in Astoria, Oregon

When: January 2020
“On January 13, 2020, Cathy had breathing problems while staying at the Astoria Warming Shelter and she was taken to St. Vincent’s hospital in Portland where she later died.”

What:

Cathy Boone’s parents were divorced.
Cathy grew up in Portland. She moved to Astoria after her mother’s divorce to be with her mother. Cathy had volunteered at the non-profit Sisters of the Road café for several years.
Her mother died in 2016 (Patricia Lupton), and she left her daughter, Cathy Boone, a substantial inheritance.
Her dad lost contact with her, and no one was able to find Cathy’s whereabouts.
A year was spent, during which her family took out newspaper ads, notices on Facebook, asked other family members, tried old phone numbers, and even hired a private investigator. The attorney of the estate also tried to find her. But all of the attempts were to no avail.
The inheritance was finally transferred to the Department of State Lands, where to date, it remains unclaimed.
Cathy Boone does have two biological children who may be able to claim the inheritance.
Cathy was left an inheritance of . . . . . $884,447.

Quotations:

“Her dad called her a ‘lost soul’“

“Those who knew Boone said they had no idea she had money available to her. . . . ‘She was a special person as far as I’m concerned,’ Donny Holder, who shared cigarettes and coffee with Boone at McDonald’s. . . . Holder carries a photo of Boone in his pocket. He keeps it in a tattered Ziploc bag . . . ‘She was a sweetheart . . . .I fell in love with her.'”

“It just didn’t make any sense to me,” said her father, Jack Spithall. “That money just sitting there – and she needed help in the worst way.”

“Boone’s father said he tried to stay connected to his daughter, but he was unable to reach her following her relapse. . . . . She had a rough life but when she was good she was really good.”

“Cathy died without knowing she had inherited the money.”

Key Biblical Thoughts:

salvation
evangelism
death
inheritance

. . . . .

Sermonic Example:

[Include whatever details you find effective] . . . .

Many die every day who never knew that an inheritance was theirs. They too are “lost souls.” With some, it wasn’t that they could not be found, but no one ever reached out to them. With others, they were unreached because they were wandering in a fallen world where few were willing to consider or look. Others are never told because God’s people had lost contact with them years ago. . . .

You know, it doesn’t make any sense! Why aren’t God’s people reaching out to others about the love of God in Christ Jesus!

Died — penniless — never knowing!

It’s bad enough to die penniless, while unknowingly rich, but to die eternally when the riches of His grace are available! That’s a sad, sad, sad story.

Cathy Boone’s story is not that unusual when it comes to the Gospel!

Other Information & Links:

https://patch.com/oregon/portland/women-died-homeless-while-oregon-held-884k-inheritance

https://www.the-sun.com/news/3019967/homeless-woman-died-alone-unaware-inheritance/

Oregon woman died homeless with $884,000 of unclaimed inheritance