Some people have asked me to post the eulogy I wrote for my dad. I know my new years resolution is to try to follow in his footsteps. I hope you all will, too. ------ Sixty-nine years isn’t a short life, but we all wish it could have been longer for Lee. Though, when we think about him, we know that even though his life may have been short in years, he lived enough for multiple lifetimes. Lee lived many lives. He was a proud Elginite from the day he was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital. He was a son, born on a historical day during World War 2 while his dad was stationed in France. He was a grandson learning his Italian roots, cooking skills, and inheriting a green thumb from his Grandma Sisti. He was a brother to Lindsay, and like-a-brother to his best friend since childhood, Dan Jurs. He was a proud graduate of Elgin High School, with many delinquent stories to tell. He was a college graduate of Murray State University in Psychology and Education. He was a husband to his first wife, and a father to his son, Jason. He was a teacher, wrestling coach, and mentor. He was a father again, to Jessica, whom he raised single-handedly. He was a step-father to Natalie, companion to her mom Pat for many years, and a grandfather to Natalie’s son, Dezmon. He was a house painter, an antique dealer, and an eBayer. He was an animal lover, a photographer, a traveler, a nature admirer, a garage-sale-shopper, a daily Paul’s Restaurant patron, a car enthusiast, a music lover, a joke teller and practical jokester, handyman, and regrettably a Bears fan. Most of all, he was friend and family to everyone. Lee lived his life with and for other people. We can all learn from him and strive to be like him by making friends with everyone whose paths we cross. Lee never discriminated, never hated, and was never mean. He had best friends who are 95 years old, and best friends who are 5 years old - and everywhere in between. It didn’t matter who, what, why, or how you were - he was your friend. He frequently said “You never go wrong by being kind to someone.” We can learn from him and strive to be like him by helping anyone, everyone, with anything, even when we have nothing to give. We all witnessed him donating to the needy when his refrigerator was empty, walking his dogs when he could barely walk on his own, and sharing his time and resources with anyone who needed a favor or a friend. We can learn from him and strive to be like him by having a very light-hearted sense of humor, and lighting up any room we walk in. He never took anything too seriously, and always made everyone laugh by making a fool out of himself with goofy masks, hats, faces, and jokes. We can learn from him and strive to be like him when we live with optimism, even in our darkest moments, by finding the bright side to any situation. And if there isn’t a bright side, to make one. Minutes after being diagnosed with cancer, he was laughing at funny videos of cats on YouTube, eating his favorite orange sherbet ice cream from Jewel, and planning for how many sunflowers he’ll plant in the garden (it was over 50). We can learn from him and strive to be like him by not caring what other people think of us, and knowing that as long as you’re a good person, things will always be okay. We can only learn from him and strive to be like him, but few will ever reach the fullness he had. He was a very special kind of man. Instead of missing him every day — strive to be like him every day. Make the world a better place in his name.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 18:30:16 +0000
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