We buried my Dad today in Wexford cemetery south of Lansing, Iowa; a place that Dad loved; a trout stream nearby and a turkey hunting woods behind his grave. From the hill looking over the valley below, the sight was breath taking. My family has fished and hunted and vacationed in the hills south of Lansing for 44 years and Dad wanted that to be his final resting place. The entire two days of a funeral in Boone on Tuesday and the grave side service near Wexford, were wonderful; sad... but wonderful that my Dad's strong testimony and influence in people's lives were validated over these two days. We connected with family friends of over 50 years; so many spoke so kindly of Dad and what he meant to them. I will share with you the eulogy I wrote and spoke at the funeral service on Tuesday.
For 80 years, Dad carried on life here on earth… born in a log cabin in Missouri, his early life was filled with wonderful memories of his Dad and especially his mother… life on Locust and Paw Paw creeks was extremely bare and poor, but filled with wonderful events and 7 brothers and sisters that shaped dad into who he was to become as a man… it was his mother's love and care that Dad spoke of so much as he grew older… her canning nearly a 1000 quarts of greens, and fruit, and vegetables… or his Dad’s rants and raves or hunts… or his tom boy sisters…. Or his big brother Everett who stuck up for him, and was his protector… and of course his colorful brother Earl… all were instrumental in creating the Waylon we knew… when he spoke of his dear sisters, he spoke as if they were Saints…except Peg…. When he spoke of Peg… he spoke with love and affection…and only said she was one of a kind….
Can I share of few word pictures of what mattered to dad?
Some of Dad’s favorites:
Loved the cabin…Loved to fish for trout..for 43 years… dad’s favorite place to vacation was in NE Iowa…
Loved to turkey hunt. He loved his hunting shack that Jane gave him..
Dad loved to garden… you could often find him hoeing early in the morning with just his shorts on. We all remember going to the garden with a knife and eating kohlrabies, or tomatoes… dad loved fresh tomatoes…corn, asparagus…
Loved to cook: favorite meals we always enjoyed with dad… chicken BBQ, fish, Indian fry bread, tacos… with the home made shells, wild turkey soup, wilted lettuce. And anything that gravy could be made from…
Later in life, he enjoyed going to Des Moines to the Sr. Golf tournament…. Vivian was dad’s autograph getter… Arnold Palmer and others.
Dad loved to go to Missouri… fish at Uncle Everett’s ponds, Memorial Day weekend… he would usereal lard to fry fish.
In the late winter you would find dad at Veterans Auditorium at the high school wrestling tournament, and in March, he would travel up to 500 mile to go to the national wrestling tournament… state tournaments for basketball, baseball…But in the summer… it was the St. Louis Cardinals… he loved to watch the Cardinals.
Dad loved any excuse to get together with his family; if you invited dad to a celebration, wedding, graduation, etc, he would be there… extended family knows what I am talking about… it was as if he could smell the cake. And once there, he became the life of the party. We are convinced that his 80th birthday party was what kept dad alive last winter.
Dad loved taking countless pictures of insignificant things… in multiple… of buildings, bridges, trees, flowers, or a deer or turkey at 700 yards. He bought his first reel to reel tape recorder in 1961… we still talk about our tape of eating supper with Grandma Ola Taylor… dad’s mom…. with grandma saying, “Look at the boy eat that sour kraut… "
Dad loved his morning paper… Des Moines Register… at the cabin we would drive nearly 20 mile to get several different papers for Dad to read throughout the day.
Most of you know Dad was a Missouri Democrat… true blue democrat… his mantra was the Republicans take from the poor and give to the rich…. Didn’t like big oil… we Republican children stopped discussing any type of politics with dad several years ago… we couldn’t convince him, and he us… I almost thought dad wasn’t real comfortable voting for Barrack Hussein Obama, and he sure wasn’t going to vote for a Republican, so he just decided to check out of life…
Dad was able to marry all his kids and all the grandchildren old enough…. At Randy’s… he was at his best… toward the end, he would forget to include important parts like kiss your bride or exchanging rings… but at each there was so much fun, and laughter and love…. Nobody cared… it was a treat to have grandpa a part of each wedding.
Dad loved to meet new people… He never met a stranger, but would strike up a conversation with anyone… dad was remembered by most as someone with a large laugh and a slap to his knee.
I have heard from many people that they loved Dad’s stories… he was able to draw from his rich, but poor, childhood so many stories of his brothers and sisters and his mom and dad. His last story to me was about farming in the early 50’s with Grandpa Harm, and milking cows by hand… the self cleaning cream separator… complete with sound effects of how it sounded when it was cleaning… and about a particular cow that was a real milker; when they sold her, they got $300 for her..
Everything that I have spoken of above were the activities that we remember him being involved in… earthly things.
But by far the most important thing that ever happened to Dad was his conversion on April 3, 1961 while on the job at the Grinnell high school construction site… eating lunch… that was the greatest event in Dad’s life… he did become a new creation in Christ..
From that point, Dad changed… a Missouri childhood friend when told Dad was a pastor said, "I thought he would have been a horse thief."
It was during that time our mother left Dad… leaving him with 4 young children to raise… and he did it so faithfully….cooked, worked in the factory, took us to the laundromat on Friday nights along with visits to Auntie Gladys… Gary on the floor watching a movie, and Karen and her yappy, nervous, Pomeranian dog… …(my sisters remember me sticking my arm and swiping candy bars from the machine at the laundromat… and dad whipping me for that!!!) Jane remembers dad even whipping her when she was 17 for a lie she told… Randy remembers the episode of his 61 Chevy and the souped of racing motor he put in without Dad knowing it, and how Dad handled that... and Vivian remembers well, how Dad kept track of her high school parade of boys wanting to date her.... Dad didn't stop disciplining us when we reached 12... but we always felt completely loved... we all knew when we had it coming to us.
Can I share of few word pictures of what mattered to dad?
Some of Dad’s favorites:
Loved the cabin…Loved to fish for trout..for 43 years… dad’s favorite place to vacation was in NE Iowa…
Loved to turkey hunt. He loved his hunting shack that Jane gave him..
Dad loved to garden… you could often find him hoeing early in the morning with just his shorts on. We all remember going to the garden with a knife and eating kohlrabies, or tomatoes… dad loved fresh tomatoes…corn, asparagus…
Loved to cook: favorite meals we always enjoyed with dad… chicken BBQ, fish, Indian fry bread, tacos… with the home made shells, wild turkey soup, wilted lettuce. And anything that gravy could be made from…
Later in life, he enjoyed going to Des Moines to the Sr. Golf tournament…. Vivian was dad’s autograph getter… Arnold Palmer and others.
Dad loved to go to Missouri… fish at Uncle Everett’s ponds, Memorial Day weekend… he would usereal lard to fry fish.
In the late winter you would find dad at Veterans Auditorium at the high school wrestling tournament, and in March, he would travel up to 500 mile to go to the national wrestling tournament… state tournaments for basketball, baseball…But in the summer… it was the St. Louis Cardinals… he loved to watch the Cardinals.
Dad loved any excuse to get together with his family; if you invited dad to a celebration, wedding, graduation, etc, he would be there… extended family knows what I am talking about… it was as if he could smell the cake. And once there, he became the life of the party. We are convinced that his 80th birthday party was what kept dad alive last winter.
Dad loved taking countless pictures of insignificant things… in multiple… of buildings, bridges, trees, flowers, or a deer or turkey at 700 yards. He bought his first reel to reel tape recorder in 1961… we still talk about our tape of eating supper with Grandma Ola Taylor… dad’s mom…. with grandma saying, “Look at the boy eat that sour kraut… "
Dad loved his morning paper… Des Moines Register… at the cabin we would drive nearly 20 mile to get several different papers for Dad to read throughout the day.
Most of you know Dad was a Missouri Democrat… true blue democrat… his mantra was the Republicans take from the poor and give to the rich…. Didn’t like big oil… we Republican children stopped discussing any type of politics with dad several years ago… we couldn’t convince him, and he us… I almost thought dad wasn’t real comfortable voting for Barrack Hussein Obama, and he sure wasn’t going to vote for a Republican, so he just decided to check out of life…
Dad was able to marry all his kids and all the grandchildren old enough…. At Randy’s… he was at his best… toward the end, he would forget to include important parts like kiss your bride or exchanging rings… but at each there was so much fun, and laughter and love…. Nobody cared… it was a treat to have grandpa a part of each wedding.
Dad loved to meet new people… He never met a stranger, but would strike up a conversation with anyone… dad was remembered by most as someone with a large laugh and a slap to his knee.
I have heard from many people that they loved Dad’s stories… he was able to draw from his rich, but poor, childhood so many stories of his brothers and sisters and his mom and dad. His last story to me was about farming in the early 50’s with Grandpa Harm, and milking cows by hand… the self cleaning cream separator… complete with sound effects of how it sounded when it was cleaning… and about a particular cow that was a real milker; when they sold her, they got $300 for her..
Everything that I have spoken of above were the activities that we remember him being involved in… earthly things.
But by far the most important thing that ever happened to Dad was his conversion on April 3, 1961 while on the job at the Grinnell high school construction site… eating lunch… that was the greatest event in Dad’s life… he did become a new creation in Christ..
From that point, Dad changed… a Missouri childhood friend when told Dad was a pastor said, "I thought he would have been a horse thief."
It was during that time our mother left Dad… leaving him with 4 young children to raise… and he did it so faithfully….cooked, worked in the factory, took us to the laundromat on Friday nights along with visits to Auntie Gladys… Gary on the floor watching a movie, and Karen and her yappy, nervous, Pomeranian dog… …(my sisters remember me sticking my arm and swiping candy bars from the machine at the laundromat… and dad whipping me for that!!!) Jane remembers dad even whipping her when she was 17 for a lie she told… Randy remembers the episode of his 61 Chevy and the souped of racing motor he put in without Dad knowing it, and how Dad handled that... and Vivian remembers well, how Dad kept track of her high school parade of boys wanting to date her.... Dad didn't stop disciplining us when we reached 12... but we always felt completely loved... we all knew when we had it coming to us.
We moved to Searsboro in the spring of 1962, where Dad met Dorothy… when they were married, life got back to more normal… he was called into the ministry… and his first church was at Pleasant Ridge north of Coon Rapids… Dad didn’t have much theological training… as a matter of fact… his 8th grade education w
as about it… a little training at Vernard… but it was Dad’s heart, his care, his compassion to the church people that made him a pastor, and not a preacher…for over 40 years… Dad served at 5 different churches…Tomorrow, dad will make our last trip to the cabin… there will be no stops along the way in some Podunk town… just because he had never been there… no stop for groceries… no stops for a paper… we will bury him in a place dear to his heart… Wexford… near an ancient Catholic church, within a few hundred yards of his favorite trout stream, within a few hundred yards from where he shot one of his earliest morning turkeys… an ideal place… almost heaven type place…
But not quite… however, we do know that Dad is in heaven… his faith of over 47 years says, “I have gone to prepare a place for you… not here on earth where things grow old, things rust out, things stop working… I go to prepare a place where there will be no more pain, no more heartache, no more loss of hearing or weakness of knees, but a place of perfect rest. "
Though he loved to have his family with him at the cabin…. Fishing on the banks of Wexford, he would much rather see each of you in heaven… seek the Lord today… while he may be found…
Dad’s life was colorful… dad touched more lives with his warmth, his friendliness, and his compassion…What a wonderful legacy he created to be passed on down through the Taylor bloodlines: always be engaged in other people’s lives, give care and comfort to those in need, laugh more than you cry; work hard, but don’t be so driven and consumed that you overlook the mushrooms, and flowers, and clear fishing streams, or your family… and love the Lord with all your heart.! Pretty simple life philosophy… going a shore and finding it heaven.... waking up in heaven.... and finding it home.
4 comments:
That was really precious! We should all strive to leave such a "legacy" behind for our children!
Thank you for sharing that -
Nancy V.
Earl, our daughter Hallie is with you at Hidden Acres this week, which is what spurred me on to read your blog. Thank you for sharing your father's story and though my sympathy is with your family, I rejoice with you that you know he is with Jesus. Thank you for sharing the word...and looking out for the kids at camp.
Deb Jeske
Dear Earl,
Thanks for telling us about your father. A true Missourian sho loved to hunt & fish. Now I know where you got it brother.
He choose well to serve the Lord and so has his son. Grace & Peace
Michael Downey
Prov. 3: 1-2
What a powerful legacy your father left you. Thank you for sharing it with us... it is an example to me in my first few years as a dad.
Our prayers are with you and your family during this time.
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