Rather than share his eulogy, which I’ve had written for
about five years, I’ll instead give my Uncle Dick some praise while he’s still
amongst the living. I’m inspired to do so today, after attending his retirement
service this morning from 65 years in the ministry. His total number of
retirements is more than the amount of Americans that died from Ebola. The Dick
VanTine virus though has spread all across the country, infecting the lives of
all he’s touched with a tremendous amount of warmth and God’s love.
I don’t know of anyone who leaves such a lasting impression
upon everyone he meets like Uncle Dick does. He can enter room filled with 500
people and by the end of the night, each individual will be made to feel
special by Uncle Dick. He has a true gift of connecting with people, of all
ages, from young children to whom he says, ‘Shake my hand,’ to those who are even
older than he is. Others may try his methods of connecting with others and end
up with a black eye, but Uncle Dick has a way of asking a complete stranger, ‘Do
you feel as bad as you look?’ and gain a new friend.
Uncle Dick is far from the White House, though he lives in a
neighborhood with more crooks than are in D.C and am willing to bet he’s positively
affected more lives than a number of Presidents, Obama for sure. Through his
years in ministry, not to mention his years of working with children’s
services, Uncle Dick has literally saved lives and directed many onto the right
path and instilled within them the confidence to do great things. He’s the
master of building personal relationships with everyone. We all like to feel
like we matter, and that’s what Uncle Dick does so well. He forms personal
connections.
Anyone whose single has been asked by Uncle Dick, “Give me a
full report.” He’s always interested in the search for a person’s spouse. The
true test of a relationship is having your date meet Uncle Dick. In his own
unique way, he’d interrogate and then start asking about a wedding date. He’s
performed over 3,000 weddings, and I’m proud to be one of them.
My dad often says about Uncle Dick, “He gave it all away,”
Uncle Dick has never been able to stand being ahead. He never cared about
financial gain, only about the riches of proving a good time for others. He’d
reach deep into his own pockets to provide things like pool parties while
serving the church. As a man whose devoted his life to ministry, I can’t think
of anything more appropriate than for Uncle Dick to give it all away. He’s a
shining example of Christ, who gave his life for us. Uncle Dick has given so
much of himself for us.
He lives for Christ and I witnessed it at church this
morning. Uncle Dick is starting to move like an old man. Walking and standing
for very long are a struggle, but when the choir began singing one of his
favorite songs, he leapt to his feet and led the congregation very spiritedly.
Swinging his arms and moving around like a man half his age. My eyes became a
little watery and it so awesome to see him be carried by his love of serving
Christ.
Despite his 65 years in ministry, I’ve never heard Uncle
Dick quote scripture, outside of a church setting. He says the prayer at family
gatherings, because as he says, ‘The one who prays eats first,’ especially if
corn on the cob is served. He can eat them by the dozen, followed by a whole
bowl of candy. Anyway, Uncle Dick spreads his faith by his actions and
relationships with others, not by talking about the Bible.
There is so much more that can be said about Uncle Dick, I
haven’t even touched the surface. Hopefully we’ll work together to write a book
about his life, there’s certainly enough material to fill one. He’s a very
special person, and one I very much admire. I fall very short in comparison,
but if there’s anyone I’d like to emulate in how he treats others it’s Uncle
Dick. Like with so many others, he has made a positive impression on me.
