Measure of a Man

Sunday we held the memorial service for my father-in-law. The church was packed. The number of people that came to pay their respects on this cold gray afternoon was surprising to us.

During the portion of the service where people were given time to make a comment or tell a story about him progressed, a common thread began to emerge of how this quiet yet forceful, compassionate yet firm, man had affected their lives. Some stories were funny others inspiring. His life affected so many others, some he had never met face to face. That is the measure of a man.

This man, a product of our greatest generation, tested by the depression, forged in the furnace that was WWII, lived his life with dignity and honor. His life was described best by the pastor of the church when he said: "He never complained about the ups and downs of life, even as he neared the end. He just lived it." That is the measure of a man.

After the service we went to a nearby private lake that was his favorite fishing hole to spread his ashes in the lake. We thanked the owner of the lake for allowing us to fulfill Dad's last wish. He said "No, thank you for the honor of having him with us." That is the measure of a man.

Good-bye Dad. You are no longer with us on the physical plane, but you will live on in our hearts and in the hearts of so many others. We love you always. That is the measure of a man.

To Jim in Toronto. I appreciated your comment and glad you like the blog. I wish more readers would take the time to comment as you did. I started this blog so those interested could track the life of an OTR truck driver and to wile away some of the lonely hours spent on that road. It's nice to know it's being read.