In last night’s memorial service for Pastor Jeff Lilley, following his sudden death, he was described by his son, Seth as: a pastor, a chef, a handyman, a woodworker, a sailor, a therapist, a painter, a musician, a protector, a bouncer when necessary, a driver, an EMT, a mechanic, an electrician, a plumber, a photographer, a writer, a dreamer, a tour guide, a husband, a father, a brother, a grandfather, and a friend.

Here was his official obituary, as published in Friday’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

BELOVED LONG-TIME PASTOR

The church was absolutely stuffed to the gills, in fact, I’ve never seen the church so full for a worship service. Even his son, Seth, said that his father would have said “WOW!” at the huge crowd of people, the outpouring of love and support. It’s not even been 24 hours, and already the livestream has seen more than a thousand views! And all the people who flew in especially for the service—not just family, but former interns and parishioners, Scott Fikse, Naomi and Karyn Castro, and many others. What you couldn’t miss, though, was Jeff’s sailboat, next to the organ! Before and after the service, they projected a slideshow of Jeff’s life among us.

The service began with an extended organ prelude by organist Barry Wenger, followed by a choral arrangement of “My shepherd will supply my every need” by Virgil Thomson. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the Ordinary of the service was the Braeded Chord’s “Alleluia Mass,” written by Sharon Dennis and Doris Au MacDonald, my sister. After the service, where in the courtyard which was originally scheduled to be Lutherfest, turned into a JeffFest with brats, sauerkraut, and beer, a time of celebration, lots of food, and especially, too many desserts!

Olivia Castro wrote this on her Facebook page:

There is a hole in my heart where our larger than life Pastor, Jeff Lilley, resided. His sudden death leaves me reeling and feeling rudderless. He was a true leader with sermons always pointing to God’s unstinting love for all people and all creation and calling us into God’s mission. His smile, warm heart and generosity of spirit welcomed everyone he met. A man of many talents, Pastor Jeff did beautiful carpentry, was the tech whiz for the campus and for anyone with tech issues, made sure the property was maintained, created sublime meals, loved to teach, and was a natural leader who always saw opportunities to make the world a better place by devoting his boundless energy to bring them to fruition.

He leaves a hole, yet he left us with an understanding of the Gospel that is mission-driven and welcoming to all people from all walks of life. Thank you, Pastor Jeff, for giving life to everyone you ever met and leaving LCH and the world in a better place. I am not rudderless as my family, the LCH ʻOhana and community you shepherded are supporting and nurturing each other, just as you intended for us. Rest in peace in your eternal reward, good and faithful servant.

Jeff’s death has reverberated widely, as evidenced by the latest newsletter from St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, where I am the organist. I had told The Rev. Paul Lillie that Pastor Jeff had advocated for the purchase of ane AED (defibillator) and a training session and ironically, he was the first person to have need of it. Even though Pastor Jeff did not survive, the paramedics complimented the church volunteers on how perfectly they had followed protocol in the use of the AED and the administration of CPR. I suggested that St. Mark’s hold a similar type of session, and to my surprise, Father Paul told me one had already been scheduled … and soon!

Here’s what Father Paul wrote in The Evangel, the weekly newsletter:

The themes of death and life are always with us. This past Sunday after the Rector’s Forum we received the sad news that Pastor Jeff Lilley of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu died earlier in the day. It was shocking news for many. I did not know Pastor Jeff well, but I do know that he was a beloved pastor to many. One never knows when life in this world will end.

Similar to St. Mark’s, the Lutheran Church of Honolulu has an automated external defibrillator (AED) for the administering of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). I am told that some parishioners of LCH did exactly what they were supposed to do with the AED when they discovered Pastor Jeff suffering in his office. By coincidence, we have an AED training scheduled for Saturday, October 26, at 9:00 am in the Parish Hall. If you would like to participate in the training, please email the office.

Pastor Jeff Lilley, along with others who have departed this year, have been added to the Necrology for our All Souls Requiem Mass on Saturday, November 2 at 11:00 am.