Here is the eulogy that I wrote and read to celebrate my dads life. Thank you all so much for you love, prayers, visits and food that you all gave to us during our time of grief. We are very blessed to be loved by so many wonderful people and I know my dad is smiling down from heaven. God Bless you. On behalf of my family we would like to thank you for coming today and for your support and prayers throughout dad’s illness. It comforts us. WHO WAS RAY ADAMS? If you ever played checkers, connect four or any other board game with him you say he was a cheater. As anyone from the lunch crew where dad worked or we kids can tell you…we could NEVER beat him. Nor was he the type of man to let you win in order “to make you feel better.” And when he did win we can all remember his laugh and his smile. And if you were dumb enough to bet against him he would shrug his shoulders and say “pay up.” Dad was IN IT TO WIN IT and that’s how he lived his life. EPHESIANS 5:28 so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. It’s strange how our parents came to be. Dad said he was hanging out with mutual friends of moms and he told them “I’m going to marry the next woman that walks through that door.” And two months later On October 10, 1964 he married our mom, Melba Melancon Adams. A true Proverbs woman. A woman of grace, strength, and love. A woman more precious than rubies. Our dad loved our mom very much and where he was weak, she was strong. Trials came, as they do, but they grew stronger and closer. He wasn’t a big fan of all of moms Christmas decorations, but every November he would get the ladder our and help put up the lights. And every year, right here in this very church, our dad would “supervise” as mom decorated the sanctuary for Christmas. And after every New Year dad would come back and help take it all down and store it back up….all the while telling mom “this is the last year we gonna do this..we gettin too old for this!” and mom would simply say…”okay Ray” Mom wasn’t a fan of dads western shows, especially the same ones that he had already seen a dozen times, bus she never complained because it made him happy. After almost 49 years together they compromised, but mostly they were comfortable with each other, best friends with a love for each other that even death cannot separate. PROVERBS 22:6 TRAIN A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO AND WHEN HE IS OLD HE WILL NOT DEPART FROM IT. Our dad had an amazing work ethic and it showed in everything that he did. Be it the numerous safety awards that he received from his jobs over the many years, his immaculate yard to his precious “caddy.” Our dad believed that if you were going to do something, do it right the first time. According to dads sister Mae Celia this work ethic began at the very young age of 4 when dad got his first shoe shine kit and hit the streets of Kaplan to help support the family. According to Aunt Mae this was not unusual during the 1940s. This was also the time where dad discovered his gift of salesmanship, or as we would call it “he could sell ice to an eskimo.” In order for dad to get business from the other shoe shine boys dad would yell out “shoe shine for a nickel” when the others were charging 15 cents. He had no problem getting men to his chair and by the time he charmed them with his gift of gab and his smile Aunt Mae said they always paid him the 15 cents. That’s our dad. He believed if you wanted something, you worked hard for it and when you got it, you appreciated it more and you took care of it. According to my Aunt Dean the bible says “if you don’t work you don’t eat.” PROVERBS 17:17 A FRIEND LOVES AT ALL TIMES AND A BROTHER IS BORN FOR ADVERSITY Dad knew and loved so many people but he had a very close circle of friends that kept him on his toes. I think his dear friend; Roy Delouse said it best when he said “you may play a trick on him today, but you better watch your back tomorrow!" Dad loved going to the Pitt Grill in his Caddy to visit with his friends. He would stay there for hours and they would egg each other on. I always told dad he was an instigator, but after meeting and listening to some of his friends from the pitt grill, I don’t think he was the only one. After dad retired he would still go and have lunch with the insulators at the shack and they were always happy to see “stumpy.” He enjoyed cooking the hushpuppies with the Monthly Monday Men’s Group at church. He was a loyal friend, a generous soul…or as I have often heard him say…Canaille which is the Cajun French word for “mischievous” I received an email from someone who knew dad for a very long time expressing his condolences and he said if I had to describe your dad in one word, it would be INTEGRITY. In order to do that word justice I looked up its meaning: INTEGRITY (noun) 1. Possession of moral Character, Completeness, undivided Synonyms: HONESTY, TRUTH, HONOR, VERACITY, RELIABILITY and UPRIGHTNESS It is an accurate description of who our dad was and a true testament of how he lived his life and how he fought his cancer. He loved everyone in this room and he loved the Lord. One of dads favorite expressions was “I’m the key to y’alls heaven!” and he was. So dad you hold onto that key until we see you again at the pearly gates. Oh…and if dad really does have the key to heaven…..it’s going to cost some of you more than others to get in!
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 21:42:06 +0000
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