It was exactly three months ago today that we laid my father-in-law to rest, less than 250 yards from his lifetime home that he built with his own two hands.
He was buried less than 50 feet from the utility pole that started the chain of events that led to his death this past September.
The replacement telephone pole stands like a lonely sentinel guarding his grave from the next reckless driver to run off the road.
Thorntown is a tiny town between Lafayette and Indianapolis and yet almost 1,000 people turned out to pay their respects to Sharon and her family on her dad's passing.
People waited in line for up to two hours on a very hot September day to pay their respects to Floyd. It was the longest day of Sharon's life as she greeted well wishers from 1:30 pm till past 9:30 pm when the tail of the line finally came to an end.
Why so many people? Floyd was a generous individual who always made time for everyone.
When he was president of the town board he paid for an entire set of American flags to line Main Street right after 9/11. He installed the flags at his own cost as well.
He hated to see those American flags rolled up because of the wind so he would always take time out of his busy day to make sure all the flags on Main Street were flying freely!
Although Floyd had to be firm with tenants who were taking advantage of him I heard several stories from his tenants who said how he helped them and gave them a break in some way. He was like that!
Floyd donated over six acres of land to construct the new town and township fire station. It is nearing completion right across from the elementary school-the town's most precious asset!
When a local boy died in the line of duty in service to his country in Iraq, Floyd and others made sure that his family had the means to select a beautiful grave marker to honor their son's sacrifice. That family now has a lasting memorial of their son's life here on earth-thanks to the generosity of Floyd and other caring families in Thorntown.
Floyd lived the American dream. He dropped out of high school and worked the night shift at Alcoa Aluminum for 22 years. This is the greatest nation on earth for ANYONE with ambition to work 16 hours per day, have a vision of derived demand, and outwork and outsmart your competition. The sky is the limit what a person can do!
While working those 22 years at Alcoa on the night shift(11pm till 7 am) Floyd earned his high school diploma, went to barber school during the day, bought his own barber shop in the heart of West Lafayette's Village, cutting hair a stone's throw from Purdue University and 30,000 plus students.
While cutting the hair of Purdue University trustees and vice-presidents, successful businessmen, and even the chairman of the board of a Fortune 500 company, Floyd listened to what made them successful and applied it to his business model! He ended up buying houses in the Purdue Village area and he eventually ended up with over 140 apartments/houses in the most valuable real estate market between Chicago and Indianapolis. He leveraged his assets at just the right time to later benefit from stagflation and Purdue's insatiable demand to keep expanding, like the advance waters of a growing flood.
With all his success in the business world he never lost sight of what was important: his Faith, family, and community.
As I visit Floyd's grave there is a bitter irony as I look at that new utility pole less than 50 feet from his final resting place. It is a stark reminder of what would begin the chain of events that led to his death.
Floyd heard a terrible noise at 5 A.M. on September 16th that cut off power to his home and he walked the 200 yards to provide help for the accident victim who had gone off the road and crashed into the utility pole. We later learned that the car was stolen and the cowardly thief fled the scene of the accident.
Upon walking back after helping at the scene of the accident, Floyd collapsed and fell backward hitting the back of his head on the pavement. He sustained massive trauma to the brain, and he died three days later never recovering from his coma.
We are comforted by the fact that Floyd had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; he loved the Lord and served Him! For me, that is what Christmas is all about. God gave His only Son so that we might have eternal life. I thank God that I had such a loving father-in-law! Floyd we love you and miss you!
This Christmas is going to be different. It is a challenge for me to be a better husband and father, and to appreciate my loved ones all the more, for we just never know . . . . . . . . . . .
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