Poppo was my adopted grand-father, actually my sister's father-in law, and he went to be with Jesus a little over a week ago. He was special to me in many ways, but that's not why I'm sharing his obituary with you. I'm sharing it because it is a wonderful example of the power of witness the final words about one's life can be.
I'm at that age, when I read obituaries in a new way and as I do, many of them leave me profoundly sad. The person may have lived a "good" life from an earthly viewpoint, they may have been successful in earthly terms, traveled, and left a loving family, but often there is nothing about the care of their soul. Even some that seem to have known in the Lord in this life say little other than their memorial service will be at a church. What a lost opportunity!
Many people read obituaries for many reasons--so make the most of them to share the joy of our salvation in Jesus. This is a time when we can proclaim the reality of the resurrection and excitement of eternal life. As church communicators, make the most of every opportunity to share your faith with your communication skills.
Following is how my brother-in-law, Jim Gloyd, Poppo's son shared Poppo's life and his faith in Jesus:
Glenn “Poppo” Gloyd, born, 2-25-25, HOME, Beyond the Sunset 4-21-17:
Poppo is Home! “Now I lay me down to sleep…” said the old prayer, and that is exactly what happened, as GP took his last earthly breath while sleeping, and slipped into the arms of his Savior Jesus, healed, whole and rarin’ to go in this New Adventure of Forever! He loved being a rock hound, and one of his close friends just said that The Lord better keep an eye on him, or the 12 Foundations of the Heavenly City will be in peril! Truly part of that Greatest Generation, born just after the first World War, then through the Great Depression, then World War ll, where he landed at Normandy on D Day, marched into St. Lo, and stepped on a land mine. We would still pull shrapnel out occasionally. He gave his all, and wore his Army hat proudly wherever he went!
Born and raised in Branson, Missouri, he truly had the “Soul of a Hillbilly,” even writing a great little book of his life called…The Soul of a Hillbilly. He loved his family, and while life on the farm was hard, he had some great stories that he loved to share with all, about his days working the farm, learning to grow stuff… still grew the best tomatoes, onions… the watermelon patch, crossing the frozen White River in the winter, which was forbidden, and could get a boxin’ of the ears from his Mom!... and many more! He promised that he would always take care of his family, and he did, not only materially, but leaving a legacy of a generous, Godly man, doing the best he could, and always stayed true to his word.
He was a lifetime learner, and could fix anything. He figured out his iPad and computer late in life and was a semi-regular encourager to family and friends on Facebook, but often his “Poppo-isms” needed to be interpreted! “How much do we owe you Poppo? Oh, a dollar three eighty!” He listened faithfully every morning to a sermon from Pastor David Jeremiah, and read his Bible daily.
Psalm 91 was one of his favorite passages, and he carried it into war with him. He kept it in his heart through the rest of his days, “He who dwells in the Shelter of the Most High will rest in the Shadow of the Almighty.”
Yes, Poppo is Home, Beyond the Sunset, as the old Red Foley song said, and his celebration is just beginning! Aslan (Jesus) in the C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia (The Silver Chair) said, “Yes. He has died. Most people have you know. Even I have. There are very few who haven’t.”
“The term is over; the holidays have begun; the dream is ended; this is the morning” (The Last Battle). We will miss Poppo but we know that because of Jesus paying the eternal price, we can go to where he is, and join him in the New Adventure of Forever! Poppo always said, “Whatever you do, make sure you’re having fun!”
HE IS NOT HERE, HE IS RISEN--- INDEED!
One more note:
I helped Poppo write his little book, Soul of a Hillbilly by Glenn Gloyd (you can look at it on amazon.com) and that is a project I would strongly recommend. I hope to write an article with some tips on how to do that, but it is free and easy to publish a little book like this with www.createspace.com. I'll let you know in the newsletter when I do that.
So sorry for your loss, Yvon!
Thank you, but what a joy he is with Jesus!
Yvon