Rory Feek Shares Photos and Details About Wife Joey Feek's Funeral

Joey Feek, one half of the Christian country duo Joey + Rory, was laid to rest on Tuesday (March 8th).  Joey died after a long battle with cervical cancer. The funeral was a private ceremony on the couple's farm in Pottsville, Tenn. Husband Rory on his blog This Life I Live showed pictures ofthe funeral.  Most heartbreaking was the picture which showed Joey's casket being lowered into the ground (see above) with Rory and their two year-old daughter Indiana sitting at the front row watching.

Rory says his wife's final resting place is in a grove of sassafras tress behind the farmhouse that he now occupies with the couple's 2-year-old daughter, Indiana. "On Tuesday we laid my beautiful wife to rest.  In a grove of sassafras trees behind our farmhouse, with friends and family gathered around, we said goodbye to the greatest person I have ever known." 

Gospel music group the Isaacs was at the service and they held hands to sing "It Is Well With My Soul." Gospel legend Bill Gaither presented stories about Joey, as was Jerry Young, the hometown pastor who baptized her as a child. Joey's close friend, Sandy Lawrence, also sang "When I'm Gone."  It's the song Rory fought hard to be included in their Cracker Barrell release of their final album, Hymns That Are Important To Us.

Rory then spoke. He added his speech with him kissing his wife's picture at the service. "And when my time was through and I thought I couldn't cry anymore tears... they played a video celebrating Joey's life that our friends Daniel and Gabe made.  And my tears were replaced by smiles and laughter and joy and more tears.   It was so beautiful, set to the song "After You're Gone" by Iris Dement... a song that Joey loved and requested be played at her service."

"Joey's one hope was that she could "come home" on a beautiful day... and oh, it was.   The daffodils were blooming, the grass was green and sky was bright blue."

As the guests made their way to the family cemetery behind our barn...

Eight angelic voices led a procession singing "Down By The River To Pray" all the way out to the family plot.

And a team of mules carried Joey's simple wooden box in an 1800's wagon with six of Joey's favorite 'cowboys' by her side.

The family followed along behind the wagon.  Indy on her papa's shoulders.

At the gravesite, Mike Glenn - our pastor in Tennessee, spoke of the better place that Joey's in and also of the better place that the world is because Joey was in it.

And he told us how we can all have a service like hers when it comes our time to go, with just as many people loving us as loved Joey.  All we have to do he said... is live like she did.

And finally, the beautiful life that God had brought from the dust was returned to the dust...

When it was over, we all walked back to the farmhouse.

As two of Joey's friends stayed behind to let her know they will be keeping her company from now on.

And we spent the afternoon a few steps from Joey's garden, hugging and loving and celebrating the beautiful life she lived.

We saw some friends we haven't seen in months.

And some others that we haven't seen in years.

It was an afternoon filled with so much joy and love.  Even our little Indiana had a wonderful time ...

And when most of the guests had gone and the sun was starting to fade, Indy and I took the short walk together into the back field to see her mama one more time.

And we stayed awhile and talked with her.

And then we took a deep breath and did what Joey would want us to do.

We remembered that she's still with us.

She'll always be with us.

In our hearts.

 

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