Posted by John M. Milton, Jr. on January 28, 2003:

Dear Friends and Family, Mom would like to thank you for joining her here today in this celebration of life everlasting. Today we gather to acknowledge this truth and to herald the earthly life of a good man.... one who right now telling me to "keep it short....you're embarrassing me". Ecclesisastes 3 speaks to the rhythms of life in those beautiful and familiar verses: ALL THINGS HAVE THEIR SEASON, AND IN THEIR TIMES ALL THINGS PASS UNDER HEAVEN. A TIME TO BE BORN AND A TIME TO DIE. A TIME TO PLANT AND A TIME TO PLUCK UP THAT WHICH IS PLANTED.... A TIME TO WEEP, AND A TIME TO LAUGH, A TIME TO MOURN AND A TIME TO DANCE.... I would suggest to you that Dad would not want us to tarry long in mourning, but rather to get on with the dancing. In reflecting on Dad I thought it would be difficult to describe him in our short time here today, for he was a quiet man whose few words could speak volumes. However, as the tapestry of his life wound through the many remembrances shared among us over the past few days, it became evident that he could easily be recalled in one word; as all that met him describe him as a man of great character... That character was cast in the strong family and Catechism of his youth. It was a character forged in the ethics and discipline of his beloved West Point. A character tempered and blued in service to his faith, family and county. Yet, this character would have been vain without his will to put character into practice in all aspects of his life. He lived the belief that a life of service rather than self is our highest calling. This life of service was highlighted in his unending concern for "the troops" while he was in the military and, when he served on the planning board, for those that society terms "the common people"; for he said that these "common people" are the thread that make up the fabric of any society. Dad's life of service was no more evident than in his service to family. Dad often went without, but no need of ours ever went unmet. It was in his devotion to family... and his beloved Elaine... that we have been able to witness that respect, commitment and love will guide you through the many seasons of life. It was in his devotion to Mom that I have come to learn that romance is not just for the young, but blossoms over a lifetime. I can feel Dad tapping on the shoulder now & saying "get on with it", so please close your eyes and help me now in remembering. Help me in remembering the easy smile that would light up his whole face, ..... in remembering the twinkle in his eye that made you feel you were the only one in the room. Help me remember how he met people where they were in their lives and always worked to encourage them to grow and stretch for their dreams. Help me remember that if you wore a name tag in a checkout line or restaurant you were in imminent danger of becoming an acquaintance and shortly thereafter a friend. Help me remember the comfortable patterns of his greetings... "Rise and shine sleepy head, it's a new day in which to excel!" "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." "Name the 8 parts of speech." "Don't worry, Vicki, the first 100 years are the hardest." Dad, I think I can speak for as all when I say thanks for the patience, guidance and love...and "We'll see ya 'round campus."

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