Eulogy for J. Robert Tracey

Arthur Grant, a longtime friend of J. Robert Tracey—who died last week—p.

The text is below.

WHY ARE WE HERE TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR THE TRACEY FAMILY MARY AND BOB’S FOUR DAUGHTERS AND ALL THE OTHERS WHO ARE A PART OF THE TRACEY FAMILY BUT ALSO TO SAY GOODBYE TO A DEAR AND SPECIAL FRIEND.

THERE IS A SONG “TURN TURN TURN BY THE BYRDS IT SPEAKS OF A SEASON AND A TIME UNDER HEAVEN. A TIME TO BE BORN A TIME TO DYE, A TIME TO BUILD UP A TIME TO TAKE DOWN A TIME TO LAUGH AND A TIME TO WEEP. A TIME TO HEAL BOBBY TRULY WAS A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS AND FOR ALL TIME

HE GAVE SO MUCH TO SO MANY FOR SUCH A LONG PERIOD OF TIME HIS FAMILY AS I MENTIONED EARLIER TO WHOM HE WAS SO DEVOTED HIS COUNTRY AS HE WORE ITS MILITARY UNIFORM PLACING HIM SELF IN HARMS WAY TO DEFEND AND SECURE OUR FREEDOM AND OUR WAY OF LIFE HIS CHURCH WHO HE SO FAITHFILLY SERVED NOT JUST AS A PARISHONER BUT AS AN USHER AND FAITHFUL PARTICIPANT IN MANY OFHER PROGRAMS
HIS COMMUNITY IN COUNTLESS WAYS I ESPECIALLY RECALL HIS SERVICE TO THE MEMORIAL AND VETERANS DAY COMMITTEE IN THE GLOOM OF EARLY MORNINGS RAIN SNOW COLD HEAT A CROWD OF HUNDREDS OR OF A PRECIOUS FEW HE STILL GAVE IT HIS ALL NO MATTER WHAT.

HE TOLD ME DURING ONE OUR MANY RECENT PHONE CALLS OF HOW HE MISSED BEING ABLE TO SERVE HIS FELLOW VETERANS AT LYONS VA HOSPITAL.

HE MEANT SO MUCH TO US BECAUSE OF HIS TIRELESS “INDEFATIGABLE” AS HE OFTEN DESCRIBED THE QUALITY OF ENERGY IN OTHERS WHAT ABOUT THAT ENERGY IN HIM AS HE SELFLESSLY LABORED FOR ALL NOT JUST A FEW BUT ALL WHO WERE A PART OF THE COMMUNITY HE SOUGHT TO SERVE. IN MY EYES THAT MADE HIM A TRUE PILLAR OF WHO AND WHAT WE ARE AS A COMMUNITY AND AS A HUMAN FAMILY.

NOW HIS IS WITH THAT ALMIGHTY CREATOR ALL KNOWING ALL LOVING AND I HOPE IN MY CASE ESPECIALLY ALL FORGIVING. HE IS UP IN HEAVEN STILL SERVING WHERE NEEDED ORGANIZING WHERE NECESSARY AND PROBABLY DRIVING THE DEAR LORD CRAZY.

DID WE EVER ASK OURSELVES WHY HE DID ALL THE THINGS HE DID ??? IT WAS BECAUSE OF WHAT WE MEANT TO HIM HIS SPECIAL SPIRIT WAS AND STILL REMAINS WITH EACH OF US. SPECIAL AND UNIQUE LIKE ANY LOVING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OR AMOUNG HUMANS SOMETIMES VERY IMPERFECT FULL OF LUMPS BUMPS SCRAPES TRIPS AND FALLS ONLY TO RISE UP AGAIN
AND IN A TIME TO HEAL CAUSING US TO MOVE EVER FORWARD.

TO COMPLETE THE RELATIONSHIP WHAT ABOUT WHAT HE MEANT TO EACH OF US ?? THAT RELATIONSHIP IS SINGULAR SPECIAL AND UNIQUE JUST AS EACH OF US ARE SINGULAR AND UNIQUE. WHEN THE PAIN OF OUR LOSS HAS SUBSIDED EACH OF US WILL BE LEFT WITH THE BEAUTIFUL WARM GLOW OF WHAT HE MEANT TO EACH OF US.

DON’T THINK OF HIM AS GONE AWAY HIS JOURNEY HAS JUST BEGIN LIFE HOLDS SO MANY FACETS THIS EARTHLY TIME IS ONLY ONE JUST THINK OF HIM AS RESTING FROM THE SORROWS AND THE TEARS IN A PLACE OF WARMTH AND COMFORT WHERE THERE ARE NO DAYS NO YEARS THINK OF HOW HE MUST BE WISHING THAT WE COULD IKNOW TODAY HOW NOTHING BUT OUR SADNESS WILL EVER PASS AWAY JUST THINK OF HIM AS LIVING IN THE HEARTS OF EACH OF US FOR NOTHING LOVED IS EVER LOST AND BOBBY WAS LOVED SO MUCH.

MY SPECIAL THANKS TO THE TRACEY FAMILY FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE SOME OF MY THOUGHTS WITH YOU. LET US GO WITH OUR MEMORY OF BOBBY AND MOST OF ALL PLEASE PRAY FOR EACH OTHER AND MAY GOD LOVE YOU