Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)
Like a lot of folks in the church, Jim knew Dick most of his
life. Dick worked alongside many who became his friend. I came to know Dick
when I moved to Houston with our family in 2001. I can’t remember the first
time I met him, but our family remembers that early on he became a significant
person to us, a person genuinely interested in our lives.
If I were only allowed a few words to describe Dick, at the
top of the list would be integrity. My experience of him was of a man who when
he gave his word, kept his word. It makes sense when you think about the fact that he was
born during the Depression. Charlotte, Beverly, Roger and I talked together on
Friday and it came out that Dick had a motto. Did you know Dick had a motto? I
didn’t know that Dick had a motto, but when I heard what it was it was so true
to Dick’s nature. His motto was, “Don’t buy. Get by.” He was of a generation of
citizens who used, and then re-used; he never threw anything away – not even a
nail; and used wire – yes, wire – to do just about anything.
Dick was a consummate teacher. He didn’t find an outlet
for that in the University; he was a teacher of life, and practical wisdom; he
was himself a constant and inexhaustible learner – of anything, of everything. He
was never intimidated by something he didn’t know how to do. He was naturally
good at Math, had an interest in Architecture, and was a voracious reader. He
knew something about everything, it seemed. I believe this is one reason Dick
related so well to everyone he met; he quickly found things in common, quickly
made meaningful connections. He related well to his peers, as well as young
people who were a part of his life, even down to the smallest children.
Our church used to hold a family movie night one Sunday each
month, and Dick and Nita would bring two young teenage sisters with them to
church. They were neighbors. They were simply aware that the girls didn’t have
the best home life and investing in them was a way to share their love, so they
just took the girls under their wing and connected them to the church.
Dick raised his own children to be independent, guiding and
coaching rather than doing everything for them.
When I asked if Dick was a strict father, his daughters replied, “Well,
I’d put it this way. He was strict enough.” He related to his children as
individuals – with Beverly he was always teaching her things in a hands on way
out in the garage, where Dick liked to spend a lot of time; with Charlotte he
brought home animals because she had a love for them (rabbits, chickens and
even a young horse – which didn’t make Nita all that happy!); and with Roger it
was a lot about being at the farm in East Texas
together (Roger – as he said – was given the “privilege” of helping dad
work on the farm).
He and Nita were good parents, never missing the band
performances or the recitals – the football games and band concerts – helping
in all the fundraising programs that were a part of these activities. He was
always there for them.
Dick also had a good sense of humor; he was clever and quick
witted to the end. He took his Masonic involvement very seriously; but he also
took some ribbing at the hands of his kids who could never remember what he was
actually, officially called, so they would just say, “Daddy was the grand
pooba.” And he would simply laugh about that.
I’m guessing his sense of humor came because as the kids
reflected Dick was always having some kind of “bad luck” and it became a
bit of a family joke.
Like once he thought it was time to show Beverly how to fly
a plane when she was about 8 years old. This was back in the day when they
still had some airports without power. They were up in the air and wanting to
land, and pilots just had to see where the other planes were around them. Dick
felt it was safe to come in for the landing, but there were too many other planes
trying to land at the same time. So he landed in a grassy area next to the air
strip, and the plane got jammed in some tractor ruts, bringing the plane to a
sudden stop, and it tipped nose first into the propeller. Beverly came up with
a scowl on her face…That was, to say the least, the last of Beverly’s flying
lessons.
There was also the time when Dick was teaching Charlotte how
to drive a car. They were in the 51 Chevy, and Dick told her to turn at the
next right. As they approached the turn, Dick said, “Charlotte, TURN!”
And she said, “No, it’s too soon to turn, daddy.” And Dick said, “TURN! TURN!”
and then grabbed the wheel and turned it himself, steering the car right into
the ditch! Charlotte wasn’t too happy about that, but Dick again laughed and
took it all in stride.
Dick just seemed to take it all in stride.
Some things you may not know about Dick. He was trained to
fly P-51 Mustangs during WW2 – how many of those people can you say you’ve
known in your life. He also played the French horn – and earned second chair in
the state of Ohio.
But Dick wasn’t Dick completely until he met his beloved one
night on the streets of Houston. He met Nita, who would be his life-long love,
one night when she and a girlfriend were walking to a picture show. Dick was
with some of his military buddies from the base. Dick spoke up and asked them
what they were doing, and then quickly decided he wanted to go to the picture
show himself. It was there they met for the first time, and the rest, as they
say, is history. When I got to know Dick and Nita that first year we were here
in Houston, Nita was already showing signs of dementia. The care she needed
never changed anything for Dick. He was a lifer; for better for worse. He cared
for her all along the way and was heart-broken when she died.
I imagine them in eternity, holding hands, having a good laugh about their lives together, and now assured that the fairy tale has come true: and they lived happily ever after.
Personally, Dick was to me one of the kindest and supportive
people in my life at church. Not that he was deeply involved in helping steer
the direction of the church, but there were times when I think he knew I was
feeling the pressure, and he’d say, “Thanks for what you’re doing here Michael.
Keep up the good work. Don’t let them get you down.” Dick was always there
beside me, with an encouraging word, honoring me as a leader and preacher, even
though not all the changes were things he necessarily liked.
Over the last year, we were all a bit worried about Dick
continuing to drive. Bless his heart, he would pull up to church, park, and
literally have to unfold himself and crawl out of his truck, manage his walker,
and bent almost double, slowly and deliberately so as not to fall, he would make his
way into the building and find a seat. As scared as we all were, at a much
deeper level … we were inspired.
People who are truly committed to be growing disciples of
Jesus in their unique time and setting are hard to come by – Dick was certainly
one of them I’ve met along the way.
And so it is with a great deal of certainty that we can all
affirm that Dick has found his rest for his soul, that already he has passed
over into God’s future and heard the words we all long to hear ourselves one
day:
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:20-26
The Lord is good, and greatly to be praised. For the last
word in this place may be death, but death is never the last word of God.
Death has been swallowed up in victory!
O Death, where is your victory?
O Death, were is your sting?
Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord,
Jesus Christ.
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