I couldn't help but feeling a little sad today. This morning I attended the funeral of Newell Stevenson, our stake patriarch and a truly wonderful human being who passed away at 88 years old. The funeral was short and sweet because, according to his son, a week before he died Newell told him that if the funeral ran more than an hour he was going to get up and leave. I guess no one wanted to call his bluff!
This evening I attended a viewing for Terry Crowther, a friend from Park City who passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack. He was only 61. Terry and I served together at church in Park City and I always enjoyed his company and appreciated his friendship. After he moved to Salt Lake City we still spoke occasionally on the phone or got together for lunch. He was the first person that told me about Redmond Minerals, where he worked for the past eight years or so. He loved it there, and I could feel his enthusiasm and pride as he talked about the company, extolling its virtues. Terry had a heart of gold. He was instrumental in getting Merritt his job at Redmond, when he responded to an email I sent out asking if anyone had need of an intern. Terry also had an unusual family situation. He was divorced, but stayed in very close contact with his ex-wife and, in fact, considered her his best friend. It was a pleasure to meet her and his daughter at the viewing tonight, as well as other members of his family.
All this on St. Patrick's Day, which always makes me think about my Dad (Farley). I wore the sweater and tie I bought when we were in Ireland, which I do every year in his memory. All day I was reminded that this life is short and we must someday say good-bye to all of our loved ones.
I look forward to seeing them all again.
I try not to think about these things. As I'm sure you remember, I have been very worried about the death of my parents since I was a child. I can't imagine how hard these thoughts would be without knowledge of the gospel...
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