Archie's Journal

Eulogy for my Dad

Since I mentioned it, here is the euolgy to my dad; enough time has passed so that criticism of it will not have a detrimental effect on me. Even now, I see areas lacking in organizaion and focus,but, this is close to what I said that day in 2001. It is short, but my Dad was a man of few words.

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On behalf of my Mom, my brother, Renae, his wife, Debbie and my wife Cleriece, I want to welcome you all and to thank you for coming to this memorial service for my Dad.

My Dad has left us.

My Dad has left us with much in our minds and in our hearts. We will not forget him. He has left us with his love and his care and his devotion. He has given his country 23 years of honorable service during World War II and in Korea. We will always remember and cherish his love for us, his family.

My Dad has personally left me with an appreciation for marriage. If I can become half the husband he was over his 55 years with my Mom, I will have done well for myself. Dad always took care of his family. He saw to it that we always had food, that we always had a roof over our heads and he saw to it that we were taught well. Dad took care of us before he took care of himself. Dad will be missed most of all for this part of his personality - his unequivocal care and love for his family.

My Dad also left me with an appreciation for learning. He always encouraged us to learn and to investigate things. Dad valued learning and he passed that on to us. He was a Renaissance Man who could learn anything he put his mind to. He worked on computers, vehicles and pretty much anything else that needed to be worked on. Dad was also adventurous, trying new things for the fun of it. That, too, he passed on to us, a desire to explore new things. He did everything he tried well, and he taught others what he knew. Dad was definitely a success in all senses of the word. Most importantly, he was a successful family man.

Dad was a professional in all he did. His Army career was honorable, he did everything from driving and flying to managing his computer equipment with full knowledge of what he was doing. He shared that knowledge with others. Again, his most important accomplishment to us, his family, was his deep and abiding love for his wife and for us, his sons and our families.

Again, thank you all for showing up here to honor my Dad's life. The Army has also sent an honor guard to commemorate his honorable service to our country, and they will perform their ceremony after a few words from Debbie Whitehill, my brother's wife. After the Army finishes their ceremony, please feel free to stay and talk with us and with each other about my Dad.

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Archie R. Whitehill
Mercenary Writer
Have Words Will Write