We miss Dad so much and some days, it feels as though the pain of his absence from our lives on this earth will never end. But I know that with time, things will get better and we will all learn to live life as we now know it... a life filled with a void that will always be present. The sadness will gradually be replaced with memories of a man who was so full of life, a man who loved and was loved dearly by so many. We will slowly find ourselves remembering the good times filled with life, love and laughter. I am so grateful to have been blessed with a father who was a great role model and who loved me so beautifully. I will always miss him, but mostly, I will remember with fondness the strong, kind and loving man who I was blessed to call "MY father."
Below is the Eulogy I gave in honor of my Father...
"Wow… where do I begin? While I’ve written more than a hundred posts on my blog over the past several years, this is the first Eulogy I’ve written for a Memorial Service and it's especially difficult because of who I’m writing about… my beloved father. Dad grew up on a farm in Loyal, Oklahoma, the youngest of 4 children. After he and Mom married in 1952, his plan was to follow in his parents’ footsteps and become a farmer himself. But God had something else in mind for him. He was working nights at a company called U.S. Gypsum to earn a little extra money and after about a year, his boss came to him and told him that he had both bad and good news. The bad news was that he could no longer work there. The good news however, was that his boss saw great potential in him and he offered to pay for Dad’s college education at the University of Oklahoma.
So Mom and Dad moved to Norman and Dad proceeded to get both Bachelors and Master’s Degrees in Engineering. He began working for Western Electric, which eventually became AT&T. He was passionate about his work, which took our family all over the United States. We loved the process of moving, meeting new friends and having great adventures along the way! Dad was the epitome of an ethical employee and was highly-revered among his colleagues. After his retirement from AT&T in 1989, he and Mom moved back to Norman where he began working for the University of Oklahoma, first as Assistant to the Dean in the College of Engineering, which was something he absolutely loved. But raising funds for the Athletics Department was definitely a highlight of his life!
Dad was very special to family and friends alike. He was a leader and a man who loved and followed God passionately. He played a vital role in leading many people to Christ and since his passing, I have heard from many of these folks how grateful they are for the way he helped re-direct their path in life toward Jesus. He loved teaching adult Sunday School, ushering, serving as a Deacon or Elder and singing in the choir in every church we belonged to.
Dad absolutely loved telling stories and he always had great ones to tell. He walked around with a smile on his face that was nothing short of contagious. He loved and had the gift of talking with everyone whose path he ran across, whether it was family, friends or acquaintances, and especially waiters and waitresses. As many of you know and for as long as I can remember, Dad found it nearly impossible to simply order something straight off a menu. He always had to personalize his order, requesting honey-mustard dressing on the side, changing the type of bread his sandwich was on, exchanging one side dish for another and his favorite… adding melted cheese to pretty much everything he ordered! We’ll definitely miss the smiles his ordering of food put on our faces.
Dad's love, support and pride in his family was evident to all, especially to Mom, my brothers and me. He was very protective and was constantly looking out for our best interests. Not a day went by that we didn't feel his powerful love for us, and he lead our family to faithfully love and live our lives to honor God. I will be forever grateful for his example of what it means to live a Godly life... one that is "good and pleasing to God." I strived to pass Dad's teachings along to my own children and to instill these same principles in them, as did my brothers. My hope is that he is now looking down on us from heaven and is satisfied that his commitment to honoring God was indeed passed along to his children, grandchildren and his newborn great grandson.
It is comforting to know without a doubt that Dad is in heaven now, and that as he entered into God's presence, he was welcomed with the words, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." May his memory live on in all of us and may he rest in peace. I miss you and I love you, Dad..."
