"One of the blessings of dying from cancer is that people listen…so I wouldn't trade my diagnosis for anything because I am able to be a witness for Jesus." Naressa Ann Allen was the Christian that Jesus intended us to be. As of August 29, 2018 at 2:38 in the morning, her work here on Earth has finished. She received a call…an offer she couldn't refuse. She waited for this moment since the day she accepted Jesus and she has received the greatest blessing for being such a faithful servant for Him. She now gets to fish with "Papa" (her father, James Naff Fickle) and Jesus. She also looked forward to spending time with her grandparents, "Moms and Bop" (Gladys and Clifford Damron). She never feared any part of her journey here, and through every trial, reminded her family that "Daniel's eyes were never on the lions". Naressa was never one to be focused on the end, because there was never an end. She focused on living life to the fullest and she found joy in ALL things, even her cancer diagnosis. Her favorite saying was, "The blessing is…" and while it is difficult to find a blessing in not being able to see her beautiful face, hear her voice and laughter or see how she touches the heart of every person she meets, she reminded us that there is always, always, always something for which to be thankful. At the very top of the list was always her family. Her mother, Ramona Fickle, loved her the longest. But it was she and her two daughters, Melisa "Missy Ree" Minier (Shawn) and Jennifer "Jiffy Pop" Oehrtman (Tracy) that would always be the "Three Musketeers". She was proud of her girls beyond belief, but they always knew that they were the ones with the advantage. Shawn Minier and Tracy Oehrtman: You were the sons she had to wait for - but she was certain you were worth the wait. There will always be an unbreakable bond with her sisters: Lisa "Sis" Hardin (Darrell), Bambi "Beeski" Roberts (David), Gretchen "Scratch" Fickle and Pam "The Otha Honey" Spring. Her brother, James "Jimmy" Fickle, Jr. (Darla) always made her laugh. There were leading men in her life whom she loved dearly - who also happened to be married to her sisters: Darrell Hardin and David Roberts - you hung the moon. She loved all of her nieces and nephews like her own: providing sound, judgement-free advice when asked, a shoulder to lean on when times got hard, always waiting to kiss or rock one of their babies: David Roberts, Jr. (Tiffany), Jacquelyn Wilson (Jason), Lisa Bobo (Scott), Rachel Kuhn (Tyler) and Douglas Hardin (Kellie), James Fickle III and Daniel Fickle. Her grandbabies were her greatest blessings: "Her First Blessing" (Tristan Marie Minier, 15 ), "Qwa Qwa" (Caleb Michael Oehrtman, 11), "Lili Hamma" (Lilian Grace Minier, 10), "Pootz McGee" (Shyann Rayne Minier, 8), and "My Precious" (Tenley Rian Oehrtman, 7). She would say to them, "I want people to see how we were raised: we love, we share our hearts and we share Jesus." She had the most perfect lap where we would lay our heads and her beautiful fingers would rub our faces until the world seemed ok. She loved hearing the laughter of her grandbabies. She would dance and sing with them and she had mad dance moves: Nana had a mean dab. Of course she loved music about Jesus, but she made sure to instill a strong love for Def Leopard, Pink Floyd and Joe Bonamassa. Although she hated country music, she adored Brooks and Dunn and could sing "Believe" with arms raised to Jesus and tears rolling down her face. She loved working for A Special Wish Foundation and granting wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses. She enjoyed making her famous Dutch-baby pancakes, mush and scrapple and would always make time for a stop at Thurns. Christmas was celebrated year-round; she recorded Christmas movies so that we could watch Rudolph or a sappy Christmas love story in the heat of the summer. She was a foodie at heart: she loved discussing recipes, restaurants and cakes to decorate. She dreamed of mountain adventures and places that we must see together. The Montana mountains captured her heart (her adored "Craggy"). She also loved the call of Canadian geese and the wind on her face from a boat ride on Buckeye Lake. She always said the Lord gave her His best and He did that through the people that surrounded her. She was gifted with the best friends a girl could have: Debbie, Patience, Joyce, Lisa and Chandra. She had some wonderful people on her medical team, but made sure they knew that Jesus would decide when she went home. They grew to love and respect that and even put their hands out for her to pray over them. She was adored by so many. She loved life and you were in for quite a treat if you got to witness the "exorcist laugh". She loved to use words that the rest of the world had nearly retired…like forlorn and befuddled…and would travel far and wide for a half-sour pickle. She always had stale, half-opened gum in the bottom of her purse (stuck to change) and you could always find an Amazon box on her front porch (only if it was on sale and got rave reviews). While there will never be another and the world feels dark without her, she begged us to focus on what she would be doing in Heaven. She looked forward to it when her time came. In these moments, when the pain seems so vast - look for her and she will send you signs that she is never really far. God didn't take her away, He just moved her for now and we will see her again on the other side of the stars. Family and friends to gather Saturday, September 8th from 9 am until the time of memorial service at 10 at Crossroads Church - Lithopolis 11573 Lithopolis Rd NW, Lithopolis, OH 43136. Inurnment at Lithopolis Cemetery to follow. In lieu of flowers family suggests donations in memory of Naressa to A Special Wish Foundation 1250 Memory Lane N - Suite B, Columbus, OH, 43209 http://www.aspecialwishfoundation.org/donate/ Cemetery Details Lithopolis Cemetery 4365 Cedar Hill Rd NW Canal Winchester, OH 43110 Loading map Previous Events Visitation SEP 8. 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM (ET) Crossroads Church - Lithopolis 11573 Lithopolis Rd NW Lithopolis, OH 43136 http://crossroads.tv Funeral Ceremony SEP 8. 10:00 AM (ET) Crossroads Church - Lithopolis 11573 Lithopolis Rd NW Lithopolis, OH 43136 http://crossroads.tv