Dad's Eulogy

I know this isn't MFP related but my MFP friends were of great support during the recent death of my Father. I just wanted to share this as a tribute to him.

This is the eulogy I read at my Dads funeral.


These are the facts of a man’s life:

Cecil Martin Woods: October 21, 1934 to February 11, 2012
Father: Henry Woods
Mother: Edith (Davis) Woods
Brothers:Harlan, Richard, and Kenneth Woods
Sisters: Faye “Pete” Otsuki and Pat White
Wife: Billie Evelyn Dubree
Married: June 29, 1957
Daughter: Carla Jo Herd
Son: David Edward Woods
Grandchildren: Jordan Herd
Danele, Joshua, and Bryce Woods
Great Grandchild: Myleigh Herd
Employment:Honorable Discharge from the U S Navy
Systems Engineer at IBM, retired age 55

That covers the facts. He was born, had parents, brothers, sisters, a wife, children, grand children, and even managed to meet his great grandchild. He was born, he served his country, had a family. Worked hard all his life and provided for his family. Worked and retired. That's what a man is supposed to do. That’s what Cecil did. That wasn't who he was.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step."

That’s what a life is; a journey. Cecil's journey, like all others, began at birth. His first step. Learning how to live, laugh and love and how to pass it on. His teachers were his parents and his brothers and sisters. Each giving something of themselves. The people along the way and the things he did all leaving a mark. All steps in his journey. Some good, some not. But always shaping the man he was becoming.

One of the biggest steps a man takes on the journey of his life is love. How to love and why? You are born into a family. You love them as family. In pride and joy. For they are family. Forever. Birth to death. They are family; Good, bad, or indifferent. That is the love of family.

The love of a woman. The first awkward and wavering steps in the beginning of a man’s life. The first love, the first joy, the first kiss, the first heart break. That is the first love. There are more to follow. Again each leaving a mark, and shaping the man.

True love. The first blind awkward steps. What are we willing to do? Every day write blindly to a young woman we barely know letting her know what our day was like and that no matter what we had to do that day we thought of her and wrote late at night with flashlight in hand. We wrote and we waited. Every day for the return letter. Her day and what it was like. Whether it was a good day or bad, she wrote that she was thinking of him. This is the beginning of true love. Spending hours on the road, when time off permitted, just for love, Billie Evelyn Dubree. Four months of daily exchanges, and the rare visit. It wasn't easy but they did it. True love. His orders were cut. He was stationed in Corpus Christie. He drove Evelyn from Eureka, Illinois, down to San Benito, Texas to meet his family. Excited, they decided to marryright away. Billie would be with her husband. She moved hundreds of miles to be with her husband, away from her family. True love.

Unconditional love. A child was born. Carla Jo, daddy's little girl. When she walked and stumbled, daddy was there. He picked her up dusted her off and told her try again. The hugs, the love. The fits and the fights. "You throw like a girl. That's because I am!" Singing and dancing in the house or in school. She was Carla Jo, daddy's little girl.

Unconditional love: A child was born. David Edward, his son.When he walked and fell out of trees, broke bones and skinned knees, "Get up and do it again." Hunting drive all night, sleep in the car, and fishing, football too. The things dads do with their sons. Broken hearts and broken dreams...times 2. Daddy's little girl and his son too. Sunday afternoons with Billie and the kids and The Cowboys too.

These are the steps that make a man. Though some are hard and cause you pain. Some are easy and bring you joy.They leave the marks that make the man. He gives to his family what was given to him.

The Love of God. Blind faith. Actions, not just words. He was part of the church not just a member. He was there because that's what he knew. You give to God because he gave to you. The men’s meetings, fundraisers, early mornings, late nights. He never met a stranger. Just greeted new friends.Evelyn and the kids were never far off. They learned there is a God and we are not it. He was a member of the community, he didn't just live there. He was a member of the Eureka sportsman’s club, a part of not just another name, because that's who he was.

A few more steps on the journey, a few more steps in the journey to Cecil.

The Love of God. Blind faith. The journey of a thousand miles is not always an easy one. The road is not always wide and easily traversed. It can narrow and we must trudge steep hills through heavy weather. Not always knowing what comes next; but his love of God, blind faith kept him moving forward. Like everything and everyone, time takes its toll.

The love of God. Blind faith. His love of God he knew. Long nights at the hospital and early mornings too. Through illness and surgery when Evelyn came home he was there too. He helped her with things she used to do. She was at home where she belonged. She met her great-grand daughter in the home she knew. His true love passed all too soon, in the night. He was there in the quiet of the night.

The Love of God. Blind faith. The Doctors told him it was cancer. So. What next? He may not have liked it, but you couldn't tell. He had a smile for the nurses and thank you for the doctors. He got pretty good at it, he had to. Because he had to do it five different times. The perfect patient, a walking miracle, that’s what everyone said. I think if you'd have asked him he would have told you no it was his love of God and his faith.

Love for his family. There were the family vacations. Fishing trips here and there. Vacations to visit family, because that’s what family does. Not always fancy, not always lavish, but he was part of the family, not just the Father.

Love for his family. There was football, basketball, baseball,soccer too, even though soccer was foreign to him. His children, and his grandchildren too. Didn't really matter whether he was healthy and ready to join in, he was therebecause that’s what families do.

Love of life. He was getting older but always ready to learn, restoring furniture and learning how to re cane chairs. He started going to the gas station to fill up; mostly on coffee and talk with his friends, sometimes even gas. When they started blocking the pots and the pumps, they moved to theHardees nearby.

That journey of a thousand miles he started with just one step made the man Cecil.

For the love of life. When he knew he couldn't do it on his own, he went where he knew they could help him carry on. For two years at the Maple Lawn nursing home, he still was a part of not just a resident. Activities and parties he was there. He roamed the halls shaking hands and talking to every one there. The pastor wasn't pastor he was just coach. Even close to the end of the thousand mile journey he wouldn't stay down. He took that first step of the thousand mile journey on his feet, in the end when he was tired and weak. God whispered in his ear lay down my son your journey is complete.