My dad died on August 23rd in the late afternoon. I was allowed the privilege of writing his obituary and also a tribute to him. I hope you don’t mind me sharing the tribute that I read in his honor at the church service following the burial. I hope in some way it will inspire you as my dad inspired me.
A TRIBUTE

I tend to collect memories as if they are scenes in a movie. So, this tribute will be a collection of wonderful scenes I have stored of my dad.
My first recollection of my dad was of him and I horsing around before bedtime. He would lay in bed and put me up on his feet, I would stretch out my hands and pretend I was an airplane. He would swoop me high and low and we would have such fun together. He was a fun dad.
On Sunday mornings he would go around the house and countdown the minutes before we had to leave for church. I was a slow eater, so many times he would start the countdown in the kitchen. I would hear his kind voice echoing through the house as I rushed to get dressed. We were rarely late and seldom missed church. He was a God-fearing man.
On Sunday afternoon for several years, Dad counted the tithe. He was the church treasurer. I remember there were times he let me help in that task. He was someone who enjoyed serving the church and the community. He was a man who had the heart of a servant.
I remember him taking the time out of his busy life as a farmer to teach me how to ride a bike. I believe he taught his children many important things. He was a good teacher.
Several years later I remember sassing him when he asked me to help haul pipe for irrigating the corn he grew. My plan for that afternoon had been to swim. Other men may have slapped my mouth or torn me apart with caustic words. Not my dad. He merely chuckled and with a smile on his face said, “I am doing this so that I can pay for you to go to college.” He did pay for both of my college degrees. He was a gentle and kind-hearted dad.
When I was a teenager I had the delusion that I could sing. Some of you suffered through that delusion with me, as this church was where I tried to become the next “big thing” in the music industry. My dad never told me that I couldn’t sing but he went on and on about how beautiful other voices were in the church. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t realize that he was in the same house as the next Brittany Spears!
Years later I concluded that I did not have a voice that could carry a tune or stay on key. Yet it was not due to my dad tearing me apart with words. He allowed me the freedom to pop my own balloon of delusion. He was a dad who was long-suffering.
One thing I did do well as a teenager was long distance running. I would run between 5-10 miles a day. My right knee was quite problematic and many times I would run in pain. On one day I came home limping and I saw my dad limping across the yard with arthritic pain. I remember thinking I chose to have pain because I wanted to win races. He chose to have pain because he was committed to providing for his family. My dad was an excellent provider.
In addition to farming, my dad loved to travel. Most of the time his children were invited along. We have been from the west coast to the east coast of this country. We have also visited Puerto Rico and Mexico. My dad also visited Russia. In addition to this, both my parents went to Europe and Hawaii and many other countries. My dad had a sense of adventure.
The fact that three of his children moved from their childhood home to other parts of the country did not stop my dad’s love. He continued to visit us no matter where we lived. When the grandchildren came he was a favorite. All the grandchildren have fond memories of their grandpa. He was delighted to see his children and grandchildren whenever the occasion occurred. In addition to being a loving dad, he was a loving grandfather.
He was a good manager of money and gave wise counsel. I remember when I had finished my first degree and was making little to no money. He had a talk with me and told me I needed to go back to college for another degree. That is what started me on the journey of nursing. He had mentioned that he thought I should go into computers. I wish I had listened closer to that wisdom and pursued computers instead of nursing at this time in my life. He was a man of wisdom.
I have been a single mother for quite some time in my life. Most of this time I have done well financially but occasionally I hit the skids. Whenever I asked my dad for financial help he was always generous with me and would bless the rest of the children with the same amount. My dad was not only generous, but he was also fair and impartial with his children.
I can’t recall that my dad ever acted on anger towards another person. Yes, there were times he was hurt by others and sometimes he may have been angry, but he did not act on that anger. He was a man of great self-control.
I think the proudest moment of my life with my dad occurred last summer. My daughter, her future husband and I all came to visit. I heard my dad talking to my daughter’s fiance, the man whom my daughter recently wed. He asked him “Are you a Christian?” My daughter’s future husband assured him that he had been a Christian since he was just a little boy. My Dad loved the Lord and, in that moment, showed his concern for my daughter’s eternal destination.
In writing this tribute I highlighted the characteristics of my dad that I have extolled. They are as follows: fun, God-fearing, servant, teacher, gentle and kind-hearted, long-suffering, excellent provider, adventurer, loving grandfather, a man of wisdom, generous, fair and self-controlled.
Yet none of these attributes will afford him entry into heaven. It is only by the grace of God and the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, that he will be allowed entrance. That is why the fact that my dad loved the Lord resonates as his most outstanding and eternal quality.
As it says in 1 Corinthians 2:9 – “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for those who love him.”
I know without a doubt that my Dad is being welcomed into the heavenly realm because I know that my dad loved the Lord.