Funeral for Jack...
This morning I'm heading over to Woodlawn Cemetery for Jack's funeral/memorial. He passed away several months ago, but the family wanted to wait to have his memorial in the summer so the whole family could travel to Michigan and be a part of honoring this wonderful man's life.
Jack was 92 years old when he finally passed from this life to be with the Lord. I met him when he was 88 just after he started attending our church. To say that Jack isn't the demographic that is typically drawn to our church is an understatement, but he had a youthful heart and thought he first we he thought he was a part of either a bar or a cult, by the second and third week he felt right at home.
I still remember the service where we were standing in the back after he had attended for a couple months and he said to me, "I've been born again!" It's not every day that you witness a heart change the likes of what I witnessed in Jack that many decades into life. He would say to me almost every other week, "For years I had Jesus in my head, but it wasn't until I came to Impact that I invited him into my heart...and it's made all the difference."
Every Thursday morning we would meet at 10:30am at the assisted facility where he was staying shooting the breeze and chewing the fat. We would talk about everything from our little town, to the newest news on the building campaign, to WW2 and his service to our country, to his kids and grandkids and how much they meant to him. It was a part of my week that I looked forward to every time Thursday rolled around...like an anchor for my soul. So much is changing in our world and sometimes it's nice to reminisce about days gone by and the simple pleasures of past that seemed less complicated.
He loved the town of Lowell and the community of Impact. He said to me often, "The only way I'm leaving this place is when they take me out of here in a box." And you know what, that's just what happened. He lived so passionately right to the very end...fighting immobility with exercises every morning and getting a scooter so that he could ride around Lowell and catch the sights and sounds of the town. He hated being holed up in his room. "The news depresses me", he would say, "that's why I read books." He loved books that told stories surrounding WW2...sometimes reading a book over and over again he liked it so much.
He loved his family deeply always bragging about them to me. He felt so taken care of by his children and looked forward to them coming to town to take him out to lunch or to go shopping to get some things he needed. He was cared for by almost everyone around him. The caretakers had a special affection for him because he would give them heck and they would give it right back. He was sharp as a tack and his witty mind kept everyone on their toes. He was beloved by our church...I think every one of the 1,300 people who come to Impact knew who Jack was even though he didn't know all of them. He was a fixture in our body...a high profile person of influence that people looked up to. He would often mention that anywhere he went in Lowell whether it was the Summer Concert Series, or Flat River Grill, or Meijer, he would be stopped and hugged by someone from our church. He loved being doted on as much as he said it made him feel uncomfortable. I know deep down he ate it up.
So today is a bittersweet day for me. I miss this man so very much. There's something odd that happens when you're used to interacting with a generation that went all the way back to the 1920's and then in one day the oldest person you have a deep personal relationship with goes back to the late 40's. I miss that history. I miss his generation that is passing away by the day. They are the greatest generation, really, and we owe so much to their perseverance and passion. They have poured into America and the culture we take for granted. I'm grateful for Jack's service to our country, but more his service to every person he would meet with a smile. It's that kind of heart that our world will miss most...I know I miss his joy and care as a young man trying to make my way through the jungle of my generation. He was a stabilizing force for me and he'll never know the impact he made on me in some of the most volatile years of my life as a husband, father, and leader in our church. His encouragement and excitement was fuel for me on certain days when I felt drained and dry. He thought I met with him to encourage him, but I kept telling him that it was a selfish deed. I needed him as much as he felt he needed me....for different reasons.
I will miss his weekly "I love you, Jason. Always will. You mean the world to me." Those are words you don't hear every day and I think he got old enough that he was tired of holding in his affection...so he just let it out. I miss that.
So on this day...I honor his memory and his life that continues to live on in my heart. I hope we can celebrate him in a way that he deserves today with his family and friends. This was a good man with a good heart. This was a good friend. I love you, Jack.
Jack was 92 years old when he finally passed from this life to be with the Lord. I met him when he was 88 just after he started attending our church. To say that Jack isn't the demographic that is typically drawn to our church is an understatement, but he had a youthful heart and thought he first we he thought he was a part of either a bar or a cult, by the second and third week he felt right at home.
I still remember the service where we were standing in the back after he had attended for a couple months and he said to me, "I've been born again!" It's not every day that you witness a heart change the likes of what I witnessed in Jack that many decades into life. He would say to me almost every other week, "For years I had Jesus in my head, but it wasn't until I came to Impact that I invited him into my heart...and it's made all the difference."
Every Thursday morning we would meet at 10:30am at the assisted facility where he was staying shooting the breeze and chewing the fat. We would talk about everything from our little town, to the newest news on the building campaign, to WW2 and his service to our country, to his kids and grandkids and how much they meant to him. It was a part of my week that I looked forward to every time Thursday rolled around...like an anchor for my soul. So much is changing in our world and sometimes it's nice to reminisce about days gone by and the simple pleasures of past that seemed less complicated.
He loved the town of Lowell and the community of Impact. He said to me often, "The only way I'm leaving this place is when they take me out of here in a box." And you know what, that's just what happened. He lived so passionately right to the very end...fighting immobility with exercises every morning and getting a scooter so that he could ride around Lowell and catch the sights and sounds of the town. He hated being holed up in his room. "The news depresses me", he would say, "that's why I read books." He loved books that told stories surrounding WW2...sometimes reading a book over and over again he liked it so much.
He loved his family deeply always bragging about them to me. He felt so taken care of by his children and looked forward to them coming to town to take him out to lunch or to go shopping to get some things he needed. He was cared for by almost everyone around him. The caretakers had a special affection for him because he would give them heck and they would give it right back. He was sharp as a tack and his witty mind kept everyone on their toes. He was beloved by our church...I think every one of the 1,300 people who come to Impact knew who Jack was even though he didn't know all of them. He was a fixture in our body...a high profile person of influence that people looked up to. He would often mention that anywhere he went in Lowell whether it was the Summer Concert Series, or Flat River Grill, or Meijer, he would be stopped and hugged by someone from our church. He loved being doted on as much as he said it made him feel uncomfortable. I know deep down he ate it up.
So today is a bittersweet day for me. I miss this man so very much. There's something odd that happens when you're used to interacting with a generation that went all the way back to the 1920's and then in one day the oldest person you have a deep personal relationship with goes back to the late 40's. I miss that history. I miss his generation that is passing away by the day. They are the greatest generation, really, and we owe so much to their perseverance and passion. They have poured into America and the culture we take for granted. I'm grateful for Jack's service to our country, but more his service to every person he would meet with a smile. It's that kind of heart that our world will miss most...I know I miss his joy and care as a young man trying to make my way through the jungle of my generation. He was a stabilizing force for me and he'll never know the impact he made on me in some of the most volatile years of my life as a husband, father, and leader in our church. His encouragement and excitement was fuel for me on certain days when I felt drained and dry. He thought I met with him to encourage him, but I kept telling him that it was a selfish deed. I needed him as much as he felt he needed me....for different reasons.
I will miss his weekly "I love you, Jason. Always will. You mean the world to me." Those are words you don't hear every day and I think he got old enough that he was tired of holding in his affection...so he just let it out. I miss that.
So on this day...I honor his memory and his life that continues to live on in my heart. I hope we can celebrate him in a way that he deserves today with his family and friends. This was a good man with a good heart. This was a good friend. I love you, Jack.
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