I lost my beloved Dad last week. His burgundy recliner seems all wrong without his snowy white hair peeking above it as I approach from behind. And his office desk with scattered papers strewn across the surface seems to indicate he just stepped away for a minute and will be back shortly. I miss him so much already.
Raised on a dairy farm and the only boy in a family of six, my Daddy gladly left the dolls and tea parties for the barn and fields
Boyhood left early on the dairy. He drove the tractor from the time he could reach the pedals. Sunrise milking flowed into feeding the cattle, pigs, and horses, and filled his days with the never-ending chores accompanying farm life.
At this tender age, my boys were chasing ducks in the park, flying through the house as superheroes, and playing soccer with their friends. Their chores consisted of setting the table, folding their clothes, and the nightly game we played called “Pick up your toys before daddy gets home.”
Hard work was no stranger to my Dad and he taught me the value of it.
Lazy was not in his vocabulary
Lazy was not an option
Lazy was anathema to him.
His mantra was work hard, play hard.
From rope swings over the creek (until his Mother had it cut down because she was tired of him coming in dripping wet) to hidden bale tunnels in the hayloft (of which the hired hand complained heatedly because he would fall thru them) he did find time for fun.
He and his dad were regulars at the golf course after chores and they greatly anticipated Saturday nights when they would head to town for the fifteen-cent movie.
Presidential initiatives, war updates, and local advertising flashed before them on the big screen. They escaped the daily grind through the cartoons and cowboy heroes, washing away the present and offering a few hours of relief and relaxation.
His imagination caught during the newsreels. The tractor daydreams, of soaring above these fields would later become a reality as he became an air force officer and bomber pilot.
As a kid, he was allowed to do the planning of a road trip with his parents to California and never looked back. His love of travel and the beauty of God’s handiwork in places unknown was ever-present.
From the Tetons to the plantations in the South, and Mexico to Europe, I am grateful for his passion to share the world with us. As one family vacation ended, the discussion of the next trip colored my childhood with anticipation of more adventures of fun and wonder.
Loyalty was part of his character.
Even to his staunch affection for his beloved K-State Wildcats football.
Even as they struggled year after year, he would analyze new recruits and optimistically pronounce that this year would be the year!
But the thing I respected the most about my Dad was his devotion to God. He was a self-professed agnostic when he met my Mom. God then opened a beautiful door for him as a young college man and he chose to walk the path of a committed disciple these 65 plus years.
A company man, he managed JC Penny stores for thirty years, all the while, serving as a preacher in small struggling churches who couldn’t afford a full-time minister.
I picture him every evening with a bible in hand, studying and scribbling on the notepad beside him. His bible is a worn roadmap of underlined messages to his heart. Notations in the margin fill the pages with insight into his soul.
As my sister and I left the nest, and retirement arrived, and his days became his own, he turned to a new life’s work. The sharing of what saved his life, turned into a continual stream of souls sitting at his table, at home and abroad, immersed in the study of the thirst-quenching words he held so dear.
And his life mantra echos in my heart to this day:
Rise early
Work hard
Be loyal
Travel widely
Enjoy beauty
Pray often
Cherish God’s word daily and share it with others
Revolve every decision every day around God.
He instilled this in me, not with his words, but with his actions, that a life lived in the shadow of God’s wings is the only life worth living.
Psalm 17:8
Keep me as the apple of the eye;
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
Beautiful tribute to your dad.
Thank you Barbara. He was a great dad and faithful to his Lord always.
Thank yiu for sharing. So special.
I wish you could have met him Grady. You had alot in common. He was such an example of
Faith.
Beautiful, Loree. He sounds like he was an awesome Christian man and father!
Thank you Robin. He was a sweet man and a great example.
So very sorry for your loss Loree! Loved your tribute to him! Very well said and written to a very special person in your life. He sounded like a a wonderful Christian man. Prayers of comfort and peace for you and your family. God’s blessings! Linda Kerley
Thank you Linda. I miss him already.
Your father was such an important part of my family’s life for the last forty years. His passion for helping little churches and for mission work were a strong influence in our lives. I have sat in your folks’ living room with so many college students over the years. He sweated, laughed, and prayed with us in Haiti. Every Sunday, I sit with people he influenced for good. He really lived for his Savior.
Oh Sarah thank you for sharing his impact. It makes me tear up when I hear stories of his far reaching influence, some I know but many I don’t. I miss him.