Eulogy for Walt

Last Saturday I attended a memorial service for Walt, my oldest sister's brother-in-law. It was held in a small mid-Michigan town. A town I hadn't visited in over 35 years. In fact, the last time I set foot in the town was when my sister and her soon-to-be-husband were engaged. It was one of those classic families getting to meet each other type of gathering.

At that time, I remember Walt was unfailingly polite, at-ease and had a ready yet shy smile. He had a great sense of humor and seemed to put everyone around him at ease.

Throughout the years I saw Walt very infrequently at other family gatherings. He was always the same and didn't seem to age much. He continued to wear his easy-going demeanor well.

Until the past year or so, when I noticed, mostly from family photos and reports, that he had gotten a full head of white hair and slowed down a bit.

On the way up to the memorial service, I kept thinking, "I really didn't know Walt all that well."
But at the very end of the service, his youngest brother, Dale (my sister's husband) had a chance to bless us with some of his remembrances.

There was at least 20 years age difference between the two brothers, and Dale began by noting that he, as well as many others in the church audience, had entered Walt's life (of 92 years) at various points along the way.

Dale then told some stories to illustrate that his brother was an adventurer (jumping into Lake Michigan from a dock, holding a stone heavy enough to bring him down to the bottom, daring others to see how long they could hold their breath underwater), a traveler (WWII, and trips to France and Germany afterwards), and a businessman (let's just say he knew how to get pretty cheap tickets to Notre Dame football games).

At the end of Dale's talk, I felt like I had known Walt all my life. And isn't that the way it goes some times? We all know people, even family members, from a distance. Sometimes it takes a memorial service to make it clear exactly who they were, and what they meant to others who were invited into their lives.

I left the service feeling a lot closer to Walt, and to his family (siblings, in-laws and friends) who had the privilege of knowing him a lot deeper that I had. As Dale summed up: "Today we're burying a good man."

Rest in peace Walt. I know you're already in heaven smiling down on us.