Eulogy for my Dad ; 9-17-2017


 As we celebrate our Dad's homegoing, I would like to talk a little about our Dad.

First and always he was a faithful son to his parents and the joy of his older sisters. Then, he became a faithful US Marine and served in the Pacific arena in WWII. His task was to keep peace in Nagasaki.
Next, he became a faithful husband. When my brother called me around the end of August  to say that death was eminent. We arrived at the nursing home and the room was filled will people.

He told Mother that he was so tired, very tired. Mother washing his face and said, "I know you are. We've been married seventy years. Both of his eyes shot wide open and he lifted his head and said, "that long?" That one piece of conversation let me know my dad was still inside that shell of a body.

After becoming a faithful husband, he became a faithful father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. When he became a Christian, he became a faithful follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. He and Mother were also faithful were also faithful church goer, until his health prevented his attendance.

Early Sunday morning our heavenly Father looked down on our Dad and based on Matthew 24 and said, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joys of the Lord." Revelation 2:10 says, "be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life." And that's where Daddy is now; faithful to God unto death.

The United States Marine Corps has two distinctives that I do not  know if other branches of the armed forces have. The first one is, "once a Marine; always a Marine." The second one is "Semper Fidelis"--always faithful.

So, I say to my Dad today--Christian, great grandfather, grandfather, father, husband, Marine, and son.
SEMPER FI, Daddy.

Salute!

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