I spent the day yesterday serving as chaplain. I was asked to preside at a memorial service … for a chaplain. Bill had been the chaplain for the Hitchcock Volunteer Fire Department as well as the Galveston County Fire Fighters Association. They had always counted on him for leadership in situations such as fire fighter deaths, so they turned to the nearest local guy for help.
I had met Bill on several occasions, and my impression
of him was that of a jovial guy, at peace with himself and the world around
him. He always seemed to have a smile on
his face and a crowd around him, enjoying his stories and laughing with him. And after hearing stories from his brother
and numerous friends, he was certainly a much-beloved guy.
The memorial was quite impressive. The venue was moved from the funeral home to
a huge church facility in Alvin, just in case the crowd was too large to handle. And as is the case in many fire fighter
deaths, the parking lot was crowded with apparatuses from departments in the
area. I saw Friendswood, Dickinson,
Santa Fe, even Houston, as well as the anticipated ones from Hitchcock. Fire fighters from all those departments and
more were present as well. Several of
our Galveston guys who serve as volunteers on their off days were pitching in
to assist in any way possible. In fact
it was one of them who contacted me. Former
fire chief Wisko came down for the service, and Galveston’s assistant chief was
there as well.
At the service we heard from Bill’s older
brother, a close childhood friend, Hitchcock’s fire chief, and four gentlemen
from the Sons of the Civil War, an organization Bill was actively involved
in. I was most impressed with his
brother. Warren pretty much shared the
gospel with the crowd before launching into a series of funny stories about his
little brother. At the graveside, the Hitchcock
fire department presented the widow with the American flag and Bill’s fire helmet. The Houston fire department (Bill worked
with them for years) presented her with a Bible and a Texas flag. Bagpipes played Amazing Grace to conclude.
After the ceremony, Santa Fe opened its fire
station for a reception and served some really good food. Brisket, sausage, potato salad, and
beans. More stories abounded around the tables
as people remembered Bill and celebrated his contributions to their lives. It was a sad day, of course. But it was a happy one as well. That’s the definition of bittersweet, I
suppose. And I did hear, from time to
time throughout the day, the common send-off among fire fighters … “we got it
from here.”
Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of
the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone
who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
Father, thank you for the folks who gathered
to honor Bill’s life and contributions.
Be with his wife and kids and grandkids and brother and the host of
friends. Grant them your peace and a
slice of Bill’s infectious humor. Amen.
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