Sage Streck

The LORD mercifully took Sage Lorinne (Miodov) Streck after finishing her heroic 34 year-long fight with cystic fibrosis on August 24, 2016. She received her B.A. in English Literature, History, and Humanities from Valparaiso University's Honor College, Christ College in Indiana May 2004 where she met the love of her life, Jeremiah (Jerry) Streck. They were joined in marriage on June 26, 2004. While on earth, Sage worked with the United States Congress as a constituent representative for Senator Jim Inhofe. Most to the glory of God, she excelled academically and professionally, continuously found ways to support and encourage others with cystic fibrosis, and inspired legislation to benefit others with cystic fibrosis in drug trials throughout the United States. She enjoyed watching scary movies, reading, and spending time with her nieces and nephews, as well as her three dogs: Sadie, George, and Piper, Aerosmith, the color purple, the beach, and remembering others celebratory dates. She will always be remembered for her courage, love, and perseverant spirit.

She is survived by her loving husband, Jerry Streck; her parents, Klaus and Sandra Miodov (who always referred to her as "Munchie"); her brother, Dane Miodov (who lovingly referred to her simply as "E") and his wife Josie; as well as Jerry's parents, Wayne and Ruth Streck; sisters and their husbands, Sarah and Mike Pavlik, Kate and Dan Lennington, Corrine and Todd Pilcher; her adored nieces and nephews, Henry, James, Wilson, Stuart, Joe, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Sybil, and Eleanor. She leaves behind her loving family and friends for the joy of meeting face-to-face and living eternally with her forever-faithful God and Savior Jesus Christ.

A celebration of God's work in her life will be held at BETHLEHEM LUTHERAN CHURCH, 300 Broadway Street, Sun Prairie, on Monday, August 29, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. with Pastor Steve Vera officiating. A visitation will be held at the church following the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Checks should be mailed to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 20875 Crossroads Circle, Suite 350, Waukesha WI 53186; and indicate Memorial Sage Streck, TEAM SAGE, 2017 Great Strides Madison.




Sage Miodov Streck
November 5, 2014 �
I'm often asked how I can believe in God when He has allowed me to suffer so much from cystic fibrosis. The simplest answer is that I don't believe God caused me to have this disease. Sin is the reason I have cystic fibrosis, but God has empowered me to live with it. He takes a bad thing, which is the result of humanity's sin, and He uses it for a greater good. Suffering isn't meaningless. It serves a purpose if we allow God to work in our lives, and we open our hearts to Him. For all that I have suffered in this life, God has blessed me at every opportunity, and I am grateful.



Sage Miodov Streck
September 6, 2014 �
No fear. That's my new phrase. Life is so short, and so precious. We are so blessed by God for the moments we have on this earth, and He has great plans for us. We should never fear the plan that He has for us. It's human nature that we should be afraid of the unknown, but faith tells us not to be scared. We have a purpose; we are never alone. God is forever holding us in the palm of His hand.

Facebook Post from Pastor John

August 24, the Day of Saint Sage Streck, beloved of the Lord
It is with a very sad and heavy heart that I heard the news of Sage.
It has been the custom of many within the Christian Church to remember special brothers and sisters on the day in which they passed from this life to the nearer presence of our Lord. August 24 now stands as "The Day of Saint Sage Streck" in my calendar.
Sage has been an example of what God can do through just one life, in a limited amount of time. Her one simple life stands as an inspiration. With her limited number of years, she always stood as an extraordinary example of trust in the Lord through all circumstances. Her attitude was contagious. Her tenacity was admirable. Her courage was mindboggling. Her inner strength evaded explanation. A couple of her Facebook entries from November 6, 2014 speak it well:

I'm often asked how I can believe in God when He has allowed me to suffer so much from cystic fibrosis. The simplest answer is that I don't believe God caused me to have this disease. Sin is the reason I have cystic fibrosis, but God has empowered me to live with it. He takes a bad thing, which is the result of humanity's sin, and He uses it for a greater good. Suffering isn't meaningless. It serves a purpose if we allow God to work in our lives, and we open our hearts to Him. For all that I have suffered in this life, God has blessed me at every opportunity, and I am grateful.

Romans 5:12 says that death entered the world because of sin. Genesis 3:14-24 tells us that all of the bad things in the world--death, pain, sickness, stress, calamity, etc. came into the world as the result of sin. The Bible also tells us in 1 John 1:5, that "God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." He, ultimately, is sovereign over evil, and in Isaiah 46:9-10, it says that He declares the end from the beginning, and He works all things for good and His pleasure. That's the basis of my belief.

I will never forget June 26, 2004, a little over 12 years ago. Sage and Jerry were joined in marriage. In my over 25 years of ordained ministry, I do not believe I have ever been a part of a more powerful wedding. It was most clear that in the very center of those two lives was the reality of God; a God who is good and gracious. With full knowledge of Sage's health condition, the two of them felt it appropriate to have a reading from Ruth 1:16-17:16 But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me."

We go through life assuming that each of us are "entitled" to a certain number of years simply because the average length of life is a certain number of years. But not everyone lives the same number of days. Even Jesus lived only 33 years on this earth. In reality, each day of life comes to us as a gift from God. Sage stands as one who teaches us the value of each day of life and living it to its fullest.

According to the scriptures, breath is life. Even as Sage's ability to breathe was taken away from her by the evil one, we rejoice that God has the ability to gain the final victory and once again breathe life. There is hope. There is life. For those who still walk this life in faith, we can always remember that the best is yet to come.

And so, I echo the words of the psalmist in Psalm 150, a psalm that was read at Sage and Jerry's wedding:
1 Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.

I give thanks to God for Sage. Like most everyone we know, she has become a part of the collage of my life, a part for which I will be eternally grateful to God. Praise be to God for Sage!

Thoughts in the Heartland - Grateful for every breath, published in the Pipestone County StarOnline
By Emily Olson (November 26, 2014)

My friend Sage lives with her husband Jerry and their three adorable dogs in the state of Oklahoma. I met Sage in college, where she juggled three majors, numerous student leadership positions, and TV marathons with friends. Now, when she's not advocating for constituents in her job for a U.S. senator, she enjoys Aerosmith tunes, Green Bay Packer football and loving her family, which includes seven nieces and nephews. "A life full of gifts," you might think, after reading this description. And Sage would agree with you 100 percent. Sage is all of the above. She is also a woman living with cystic fibrosis (CF), a life-threatening genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs. Since she was diagnosed at birth, Sage has undergone countless treatments and hospitalizations to alleviate CF's suffocating symptoms. Now, Sage's lung capacity is at 24 percent, and she's going to need a double lung transplant. Every time Sage takes a breath, she literally struggles to breathe.

This week, I asked Sage what she thought about giving thanks even when it's very hard to do so. This is what she wrote. May it bring you hope and gratitude this Thanksgiving.

"When I first read your message, the response that immediately popped into my head was that it isn't hard for me to give thanks during very difficult times. If anything, the hard times bring the blessings more clearly into focus.

"I've spent a lot of time thinking about this very issue lately, because people frequently ask me about my faith, especially when they learn that I've reached the point in my illness where I'm going to need a double lung transplant. This is a very difficult time right now, and there is a great deal of uncertainty in my future. There are so many things I cannot control.

"However, I am certain that God has a plan, that He is in control, and that He works all things for the good of those who love Him. I rely strongly on those promises, and I've seen firsthand how He is at work in my life. There is nothing that I have suffered that hasn't ultimately served a greater purpose.

"I choose to look at each challenge as part of His plan for my life. He has never once let me down; in fact, He has blessed me abundantly at every opportunity. That doesn't mean that I don't get scared or feel pain or get angry or even despair at times. I do feel all of those things. But I always come back to thankfulness, because the blessings outweigh everything else."

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