My wife, Linnet’s father, Harvey Gaither passed away this past Tuesday from his third bout with cancer. He was a real trooper, as they say in dealing with it. He kept his composure and his sense of humor and spoke of it very frankly. When the time came he had everything in order he could have thought of and was surrounded by family. That seems to be all there is to say, on the surface.

During the days afterward the outpouring of love and support from friends and family was overwhelming. People came by, brought food, soft drinks, prayer blankets, hugs. We even got a box of farm fresh eggs. This went on in each household directly connected to this loss. Harvey had many friends.

My father in law touched many lives in his time on earth. He kept the books at Sun Graphics for thirty some years and knew everyone who ever worked there and kept in contact with many after his retirement. He also poured his time and support into the church and more pointedly into the kids. He thoroughly enjoyed the teen quizzing program and even challenged the kids to a contest once that ended up with him coming to church on Sunday morning dressed as Papa Smurf, blue face, white beard and all to announce the quiz meet results.

I remember washing dishes and ending up running around the yard with him popping each other with wet tea towels like a couple of kids. We staked a goat in his yard and a sign on his roof for his fiftieth birthday. He loved it. He cooked hamburgers for the whole family so many times and looked after his kids and grandkids constantly. He fathered three daughters and raised six. He had heart to heart talks with his sons-in-law and always wanted to see the Deer I got.

So many people don’t have the opportunity to live around such folks. I did, from the time I was nineteen and feel as though I was unfairly blessed. We will really miss him in the years to come and we will strive to meet him in heaven. But the real lesson here is I watched a man grow and help people grow, live and help people live and I hope that when I am gone from this earth someone will be able to say the same about me.