02-19-34 TO 10-11-14
THE UGLY, THE BAD, THE GOOD
THE UGLY
JACK WAS BORN ON FEBRUARY 19, 1934 A HEALTHY BEAUTIFUL NORMAL VALENTINES BABY. HE COULD HEAR AND BE AND DO ALL THINGS THAT NEWBORN BABIES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE AND DO. TWO YEARS LATER JACK’S HEARING WAS TAKEN FROM HIM AS A RESULT OF HAVING MEASLES AND MINNINGITIS SIMULTANEOUSLY. HE BEGAN HIS JOURNEY OF SILENCE AT THE AGE OF TWO AND HE ENDURED THAT STATE OF SILENCE FOR 78 YEARS. HE ENDURED DEAFNESS WITHOUT COMPLAINT, REGRET OR BLAME. IN FACT HE MADE HIS DEAFNESS A LIFE LONG STRENGTH OF HIS CHARACTER.
THE BAD
TEN YEARS LATER JACK’S LIFE BECAME EVEN MORE CHALLENGING WHEN HE WAS STRUCK BY A DRUNK DRIVER AND SUSTAINED A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY THAT AFFECTED HIS ABILITY TO FUNCTION INDIPENDENTLY THE BALANCE OF HIS LIFE. AGAIN, HE ENDURED HIS TBI FOR 68 YEARS WITHOUT COMPLAINT, REGRET OR BLAME. IN FACT HE AGAIN MADE HIS COMBINATION OF DEAFNESS AND TBI A LIFE LONG STRENGTH OF HIS CHARACTER.
THE GOOD
THE EASY PART OF THIS EULOGY IS TALKING ABOUT ALL THE GOOD THAT HAS COME FROM JACK’S LIFE. GOD SOUGHT HIM OUT TO USE HIS “DISABILITIES” AS AN EXAMPLE TO ALL OF THOSE HE MET IN LIFE, THAT NO MATTER YOUR PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCE YOU CAN BE AN INSPIRATION FOR OTHERS IN THEIR LIVES. YOU CAN TOUCH PEOPLE AND ENCOURAGE THEM SIMPLY BY BEING AND BEING OBSERVED AND LOVING ALL CHARACTERISTICS ABOUT ALL PEOPLE.
NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, JACK WAS SPOILED BY ALL HE ENCOUNTERED IN LIFE. PEOPLE JUST WANTED TO LOVE AND CARE FOR HIM BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY LOVED HIM, HE LOVED THEM MORE. HE MADE NO NEGATIVE JUDGMENTS, HE ONLY SAW GOOD. A HUG WAS HIS HANDSHAKE.
HIS LAST DAYS WERE SPENT WINNING OVER THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS OF ST. JOSEPH HOSPITAL, PEOPLE WHO DEAL WITH THE WORST PARTS OF END OF LIFE SCENARIOS. EVEN THEY WERE SADDENED AND BROUGHT TO TEARS TO SEE HIM GO HOME.
HIS LAST YEARS WERE SPENT HERE AT GENERATIONS/LOWRY PARK. THE DEEP CARE HE RECEIVED HERE IS A TESTEMENT TO THE CARING HEARTS OF THE STAFF OF LOWRY PARK AND THE DOCTORS, NURSES AND CARE GIVERS THAT CAME IN TO SEE JACK AND CARE FOR HIM.
HE CREATED SPECIAL BONDS WITH MANY PEOPLE THROUGHOUT HIS ENTIRE LIFE. (DAN REEVES STORY), THE PEERS OF HIS NIECES TERI AND TATUM COULDN’T SPEND ENOUGH TIME WITH HIM. WHEN HE WAS AROUND THEY WOULD SEEK HIM OUT FOR A HUG, HANDSHAKE WAVE OR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BEFORE THEIR GAMES JUST FOR GOOD LUCK. THE KIDS WERE CERTAIN JACK WAS THEIR GOOD LUCK CHARM. (FACEBOOKS COMMENTS ABOUT HIS SMILE AND LAUGHTER)
HIS LOWRY PARK FAMILY MEANT THE WORLD TO HIM IN HIS FINAL YEARS. THEY WERE HIS DAY-TO-DAY FAMILY. AND ONCE AGAIN HE FORMED ENDURING FRIENDSHIPS AND LOVING RELATIONSHIPS THAT DEFINED HIM AND HIS LIFE. HIS FRIEND TOM CALLAHAN ADOPTED HIM AS A LITTLE BROTHER AND MADE SURE HE WAS INCLUDED IN ALL THE ACTIVITIES. THE STAFF PAID UNDUE SPECIAL ATTENTION BECAUSE HE WAS SUCH A “SWEETHEART”. HE KNEW HE WAS SPOILED AND REVELED IN THE FACT THAT HE COULD SHARE THAT SPECAIL MOMENT WITH ANYONE HE EVER CAME IN CONTACT WITH.
THE BEAUTIFUL WOMEN OF LOWRY PARK COULDN’T KISS HIM ENOUGH AND THEY WOULD STOP AND LOVE ON HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONVERSATION AND THEY ALWAYS SAID IT WAS “JUST A LITTLE BIT FOR MY FAVORITE GUY”. THE ONLY THING YOU SAW COMING BACK AT YOU FROM HIM WAS A HUGE SMILE AND A BIG LAUGH.
YOU WOULD KNOW JACK WAS NEARBY BECAUSE HIS LAUGH WAS UNIQUE AND DISTINTIVE AND HE WAS ALWAYS BREAKING IT OUT.
JACK IS WITH GOD AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS NOW, HE CAN HEAR AND CONVERSE AND GOD HAS GIVEN HIM A NEW BODY. (I CORINTHIANS 15:35-58).
PLEASE REMBER JACK IN YOUR PRAYERS. HE IS REMBERING YOU IN HIS.
FINALLY I WOULD LIKE TO READ A VERSE OF SCRIPTURE THAT IS APPLICABLE TO JACK AND HIS LIFE.
Colossians 3:12-14New International Version (NIV)
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
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