Memorial Tribute to Michal Ann Goll
September 29, 2008
Most of you are aware of the graduation into heaven of Michal Ann Goll on Monday morning, September 15, 2008 after a long and intense battle with cancer. She fought for life until her very last breath. Today, the beginning of a new Hebrew year, we want to give tribute to this godly woman who loved the Lord and her family with all her entire being. The following is her obituary, a statement declared by our son, Justin Goll, at her funeral service in Nashville and a portion of her Last Will and Testament that she had written in the hospital in February when she was extremely weak.
Obituary
Mrs. Michal Ann Goll, age 52, died September 15, 2008 at her residence in Franklin, TN. Michal Ann was born to the late Davis & Dorris Willard. She was an author, speaker and an ambassador for the poor worldwide. She was recently awarded the Cambridge Who’s Who for Women in Leadership and was a member of the Founders Group of the Deborah Company. Michal Ann was Co-Founder, with her husband, of Encounters Network and was Founder and Co-Director of Compassion Acts. She earned her Associates Degree in Child Development from CMSU and her Bachelor’s Degree in Practical Ministry from the Wagner Leadership Institute.
Locally, she was a church member of Grace Center in Franklin, TN. Michal Ann was a devoted wife and loving mother, and Jesus was first place in everything she did. She is survived by her husband, James W. Goll, Franklin, TN; sons, Justin Goll, Los Angeles, CA and Tyler Goll, Franklin, TN; daughters GraceAnn Goll, Franklin, TN and Rachel Goll, New York, NY; brothers, John and Paul Willard, Warrensburg, MO, David Willard, Dyersburg, TN.
Funeral services were conducted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at Belmont Church in Nashville, TN with Dr. Don Finto and Dr. Mahesh Chavda officiating. A second service was held on Saturday, September 20, 2008 in Odessa, MO at the United Methodist Church with Pastor Alan Koch and Rev. Michael Sullivant officiating. Burial followed in the beautiful rural Dover Cemetery in Dover, MO where her parents are buried. Memorials gifts may be made to Compassion Acts, P.O. Box 1653 Franklin, TN 37065.
Portions of Testimony Shared by Justin Goll
People of extraordinary faith and courage aren’t simply born. Mom didn’t just arrive on the scene as the hero and beautiful champion that we know her as today. She was one of those rare people who really let themselves change, who allowed God to take them on a journey of not only self-discovery but God-discovery, a journey of radical transformation.
You see – the woman we honor today is, in some ways, not the woman we knew 20 years ago. Mom never stopped growing, always gave God room to change her, to breathe new life into her. Even later in life, in her late 40’s, when most successful ministers would begin resting on their laurels, quietly awaiting retirement, my mom founded a completely new ministry Compassion Acts and, at the age of 48, launched into a completely new chapter of life.
In a time when church teachings pit Mary vs. Martha, my mom embodies both. She loved to sit at Jesus’s feet. She loved to worship. She loved to break the alabaster jar, to give extravagantly to only Him. At the same time, she loved to help those in need, to serve, to go low, to suffer with those who suffer. Her love for Jesus meant she chose the path that Jesus walked. In Matthew 25, Jesus says that whatever we do to the least, to the hungry, the naked, the sick, we do to Him.
As a miracle baby, let me declare. Life is a gift. And no one understood this better than my mother. She lived every day, even those filled with pain, recognizing it as a gift from her Creator.
And as a member of a family that doctors and specialists proclaimed would never exist, let me say this: Even in death, the devil has no triumph. The damage is already done. Our victory is already won. Every life here is a miracle. Every family here is a miracle. And the legacy, the life, my mom left behind cannot be erased and will not die but will thrive. I think it’s because of mom that I know that God is on our side, even as we’re going through things like this… that Jesus is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE.
So, mom, we salute you for the life you lived. We’re honored to have shared some of it with you, and we look forward to the day we see you again in heaven.
by Justin Goll
Personal Statement of Faith Excerpted from
Michal Ann Goll’s Last Will and Testament
“It has been my goal and desire to love the Lord with all my heart all the days of my life. My desire is to leave with my family, friends and ministry partners a challenge to always love and honor God with all your life. I request that you not forget the poor that Jesus died for and that you carry on my ministry of Compassion Acts to the world.”
Michal Ann Goll – Hand Written on February 4, 2008
A Closing Prayer of Thanksgiving
Dear Lord and Savior,
Thank you for the life of this dear woman who touched hundreds, yes, thousands with the fragrance of Christ. Thank you that she cast a shadow that will not soon be forgotten. As Proverbs 31 states, “Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her saying: “Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.” Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.” Thank you for the life of Michal Ann Goll and may her work of Compassion Acts live on to impact many.
In Christ Jesus Name we pray, Amen and Amen!
James W. Goll
James & Michal Ann Goll 