This was the eulogy that I delivered at the Celebration of life service for my beloved father-in-law David Masters
I would like to thank everyone for coming today as we
celebrate the life of a man we all knew and loved David Masters.
We hope you enjoyed the food and what has been shared so
far.
Please allow me a few moments to share some thoughts about
David.
I first met David, Janice and most of Valerie’s siblings at
a birthday celebration for Jessica back on January 28, 2011. Valerie’s family
was very warm and welcoming and engaged me in great conversation. Janice told
me after the dinner that I have only begun to tap Valerie’s great heart – which
I can attest to this day has gotten even greater.
Valerie and I had a whirlwind courtship and got married 15
days (that’s not a typo) after we met on Friday February 11th, 2011.
We both had experienced hurt in our lives and God saw fit to bring incredible
joy to both of us. The family joined us for a wonderful dinner celebrating our
marriage on February 13th at Maggiano’s. after dinner was over David
came up to me and with the firmest of handshakes said “Welcome to the family !”.
I moved from Ohio in the middle of March that year. I wasn’t
long after that we had our first family gathering at our house for Easter.
David and Janice were the first to arrive and I went out to the back yard with David
to get him a beer. He came over to me and said “Val’s been hurt a lot. Please
take good care of her”. I told him that was my primary goal in life was to take
exceptional care of Valerie. And I like to believe I have spoiled her rotten
with love, romance, trips to Starbucks, key lime pie, and the occasional trips
to Jarrod’s lol.
I loved Val’s family and family gatherings but the times I
cherished the most was one on one time with David and Janice. Out on their back
porch, breakfast at the Egg And I, dinner at the Italian Kitchen, and a whole
lot more. It was during these times I got to find out what down to earth,
wonderful, warm and loving people there are. They have acted as my “parents” as
both of mine are with the Lord and I greatly valued their counsel and wisdom.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention David’s sense of
humor. I’d walk up to at a family event, shake his hand, and ask him how he was
feeling. His answer was “With my fingers”. He also gave me a good natured hard
time whenever I would wear a Pittsburgh Penguins shirt. I was met by “Your in
Tampa – you can’t wear those bums shirts” lol. And he would give a hard time to
everyone in earshot just to engage them.
This sense of humor carried out into public as well. We were
out celebrating David’s birthday at Square One in their party room. We had
finished dinner and of course it was time to open gifts. One gift in particular
was a bottle of scotch in a box that looked almost too good to open. David
opened the box it was and then – much to my astonishment – poured himself a
glass. I whispered in Valerie’s ear “We are all going to jail and will never be
allowed to come back here”. Fortunately the bill for the dinner was paid and
the wait staff didn’t come back to the room lol !
On one occasion, I greeted David and he said “Hey Willie,
how are you ?” I’ve been known by many names – William, Bill, Billy, Will but
no one ever called me Willie. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed that. It was
a special bond between us that I will always remember.
As you can see David loved his dogs. He enjoyed them and
loved on them like crazy. During a summer celebration at Vivians, I made sure I
had a beer to drink – as David always told me to get one – and sit down. We
chatted for a few minutes and then he asked me about Chi Chi. Chi Chi was a
very overweight, grumpy chihuahua who really favored Valerie and was her
shadow. Val and I joked she was the party police as every time our other dog
Diogie was playing around she barked at her. David asked me “So you get rid of
Chi Chi yet ? You know she would make good shark bait”. Valerie blurted out “Oh
daddy”. David just sat there with a big grin on his face and my laughter was
out of control. Of course he was teasing.
Valerie also shared with me some of the high jinx from her father while growing up. One that
stands out was Valerie and some of her siblings were riding in a boat – not in
the water but as it was being towed through an orange grove. He sure liked to
have fun !
Some of what David enjoyed:
NASCAR. Names like Dale Sr. Jr., Rusty and many more were
the topic during many conversations at the kitchen table. Both he and Janice
were big fans and enjoyed being able to
tune in and watch the races.
Budweiser – David enjoyed his Budweiser and Bud Light. One
Christmas we got David a wooden Budweiser case filled with beer. It was a “home
run” as they say !
Working With His Hands – There wasn’t anything that David
couldn’t fix, repair, or build. It was his trade and he excelled at it.
Fishing – David was an avid fisherman. Valerie had told me
this and it was evidenced by the multiple pictures I found of him with his
catches.
Being The Center Of Attention – This was one of the many
things David had in common with my father. Whenever he would arrive at a family
function and get settled in his chair you would hear the words “Daddy did you
want a beer” ? When he finished you would hear “Daddy did you want another
beer?”. Yes he loved attention and it was oh so wonderful to engage him.
Telling It Like It Is – David did not put up with and could
not stand BS – in anything. That really spoke to my heart
His Children – To David his children brought him such
incredible joy. As witnessed during the slide show and from being around the
family for over 11 years I can attest to that fact.
Janice – Both Janice and David experienced hurt before they met each other. But after
they met they found incredible joy being with each other and got married. Their
love for each other is evident in the pictures that we saw throughout the
years. Their marriage was truly incredible and a great witness to us all.
I’ve had the unfortunate task of sharing about loved ones
including my parents on several occasions.
I wish I was anywhere but standing here today sharing about
a man I deeply respected, admired, and greatly loved.
I would like to share several passages from scripture
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
55 O death,
where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The
sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But
thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 21:1-4
21 And I
saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were
passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I
John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I
heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away.
John 14:2
2 In my Father's house are
many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you
I would like to thank my wife Valerie as I
personally witnessed her love for her father not only during our 11 years of
marriage but especially the last few weeks of his time here on earth. Her
selfless love was evident throughout that time and the last few weeks as I
witnessed her love for her mom and family come shining through. Thank you
sweetheart for all you have done to remember your father and to be their for
your mother. I’m truly proud to be your husband and to witness Christ’s love in
action.
To Janice we love and are here for you. No questions asked.
In closing I’d like to share this which I read sometime the
past year:
God does not take without giving you something in return. I
thought about this and then it hit me – we have a “permanent DVR” built into
each one of us – our memories. I replay all those great memoires in my head of
my time with my parents and that has great helped me as I still mis them
greatly. It’s a wonderful gift from God which I plan on using to remember
David.
May we always remember you
with a smile and your laughter and love. “Taten sagen mehr als Wrote”
The German phrase “Taten
sagen mehr als Wrote” translates to “Actions say more than words.”
Home Free
I'm trying hard not to
think you unkind
But Heavenly Father
If You know my heart
Surely You can read my mind
Good people underneath a sea of grief
Some get up and walk away
Some will find ultimate relief
Home free, eventually
At the ultimate healing
We will be home free
Home free, oh I've got a feeling
At the ultimate healing
We will be home free
Out in the corridors, we
pray for life
A mother for her baby
A husband for his wife
Oh, sometimes the good die young
It's sad but true
And while we pray for one more heartbeat
The real comfort is with You
You know pain has little
mercy
Suffering's no respecter of age
Of race or position
I know every prayer gets answered
But the hardest one to pray is slow to come
Oh Lord! Not mine! But your will be done
Oh, Let it be
(Home free, eventually)
Gonna' go on home
(At the ultimate healing, we will be home free)
(Home free, oh I've got a feeling)
I've Got a feeling
(At the ultimate healing, we will be home free)
