dual personalities

I received some news on Friday that made me very sad. My old and dear friend “WWII Guy” died last week in Georgia. I was not expecting it and the news came as a surprise. We had emailed back and forth in September when the debacle in Afghanistan was going on and I helped him tone down a letter to the editor he had written. The paper eventually published it and he was very pleased.

WWII Guy grew up in Edina, MN. He was a kid during WWII but his young uncle, whom he idolized, served. He was the president of his senior class and went to Cornell and then law school. He was a Big Time lawyer in San Francisco and Chicago, before moving to St. Louis to semi-retire.

He had a lifelong passion for the history of WWII and for flying, and during the 10 years I knew him as a student and facilitator at my flyover institute, he led over 20 classes on the war, a continuing saga covering every battle and engagement fought. His WWII classes were very popular.

He was one of my “captains,” someone I could always count on to step up when needed. When he moved to Georgia, he left a big hole at my institute. He started reading this blog as a way to stay in touch and he would often comment as “WWII Guy.” He continued to send me a cake every year on my birthday…

… and to take pictures of Mike Matheny for me when he went to Cardinals’ spring training games every spring. At first he would come to visit and he’d take me out to lunch and we would gab away for hours.

But he grew old, this knight so bold, and o’er his heart a shadow, fell as he found…that growing old was really hard. For this former marathon runner, who would drop everything and drive his uncle across country if he needed company, it was indeed hard. He managed to go to his 65th high school reunion in Edina in June this year but it was very hard physically. It was, he told me, a very emotional experience for him, and he was glad he did it. But that was the beginning of the end for WWII Guy.

I like to think of him at the pearly gates, met by Ernie Pyle and Jimmy Stewart (of whom people always told him he reminded them) and maybe James Howell Howard. Into paradise may the angels lead thee, WWII Guy, and at thy coming may the martyrs receive thee, and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem.

Let us drink a toast (or two) to WWII Guy and maybe watch The Dawn Patrol (1938) which we both loved…

Comfort us in our sorrows at the death of our brother; let our faith be our consolation, and eternal life our hope. Amen.