Dad

This is the eulogy I wrote for my Dad but I like to think of it as more of a tribute.

Dad

When I was in high school I read a really depressing play by Arthur Miller called "Death of a Salesman". It was a bout a guy named Willy Loman who worried a little too much about being well liked by his peers and others. I remember reading that he would have little fantasies about how many people would come to his funeral and exclaim their love for him,. Unfortunately for him it didn't end up like that, and what I took from it was that he couldn't be himself, those fantasies became destructive and he ultimately destroyed himself. I'm not here though to compare my Dad to Willy Loman though, my Dad was the anti Willy Loman. He was always his own person, as far I could tell he was never worried about any of the things Willy was and it enabled him to put God and his family first. He was more worried about being a good husband and provider for his family. He was more concerned with raising his children right and making God the focus of the family in a world where you couldn't put much stock in what other people say. In my opinion he succeeded in that.

My father had a natural compassion for just about everyone and it was evident through his easy going personality and the ministries he belonged to, like the prison out reach or the Open door ministries in Gloucester. Even though he cut a striking figure he always made sure that he opened himself up to the people he thought needed a friend. That quality made me as well as others see him as more of a gentle protector, a peaceful warrior, fighting by your side. That part of his personality too was evident through his smile, you could see the love that he had in his heart, and he smiled a lot.

My father was also a very deep man, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. He may have been seen as a quiet, shy man sometimes on the surface, but his mind was like intricate clock work, the gears were always turning.  Part of his depth was his love of laughter, he loved comedians like Richard Pryor and Robin Williams, and seeing him laugh at one of their jokes was an event all its own. He loved telling jokes, however he could almost never get through a joke because he would laugh so hard half way through it, but that's what made it so funny and his laugh was very contagious. My Dad knew about a lot of different things, on just about every subject you could think of, and if he didn't he would make an educated guess to where it sounded like he knew what he was talking about and usually I took his word for it. He got me interested into so many of the things I love to this day. Things like Science fiction and fantasy, comic book super heroes, Indiana Jones, writing, photography and martial arts via Chuck Norris. My dad loved Chuck Norris, one of the shows he liked was Walker Texas Ranger and I'm pretty sure he saw every episode like 8 times, but he always busted out laughing when a bad guy got unexpectedly kicked in the face by Chuck. But the most important thing he lead me to was to the Lord.

It was his knowledge of the Bible and the way God works that still leaves me dumbfounded to this day. It seemed he had an unshakable trust in God. My Dad was a beacon of God to all those around him, especially to those working with him in the various ministries he was involved with. He never once rubbed it in your face though, he was humble when it came to God, just as it should be. When he spoke about Bible stories  and the holy trinity he had authority in his words and I listened closely and carefully as well as others. As proof I remember a story someone once told me about my Dad. They were witnessing on the streets of Saint Paul and they came across a man who was angered by what they were doing so the guy started chasing after them. As they were running mad dad stopped and turned around and said "Jesus loves you" and them man stopped in his tracks with a puzzled look on his face like it was the first time someone told him that. My dad was also a powerful prayer warrior when it came to the very big and very small things. It's my father's own example I follow, especially now, having a family of my own.

It's funny now remembering my peers in high school and college asking me how did I know that there is a God or even a Heaven. I would try to sound as intellectual as possible and try to give a complicated answer, but now the answer is so easy. I know that there is a God because of my Dad, because he was in my life and because of the things he did for me and my family. And I know that there is a heaven because Heaven was made for people like him.