We've known Stan and his wife, Kathy, since 1978, when we first moved to Salem, Oregon. Our boys were ages 5 and 2 at the time, and Stan and Kathy had two children about the same age. Stan was the preacher for the congregation we attended, and we spent a lot of time at each others' houses. Our children played well together, and so did we! We shared meals, had picnics and outings, and even spent many evenings playing the Dungeons and Dragons board game together!
But, as happens in this life, Stan and Kathy moved on to other places and took on other adventures, and so did we. It was 38 years ago that we went our separate ways, and as far as I recall, we only got together one time after that, while we were both still living in Oregon.
We kept up with each other through Christmas cards and family newsletters, but eventually lost touch because of yet another move. Recently I found Kathy on Facebook, and we reconnected. They were living in Fort Worth, just under three hours away from us. Dan and I excitedly talked about going up to see them sometime this summer.
Then came the shocking email from Kathy, last Friday. Stan had suffered a massive heart attack the day before (June 28), and died! Dan and I were both truly grieved to hear this. We made plans to drive to Fort Worth for his memorial service on Sunday afternoon.
Stan's memorial service was one of the nicest ones we've ever attended. Stan was a good and faithful man. He was father to four children (two came after they left Salem) and grandfather to five. He was a fun-loving, caring, godly man. Even though we have not seen him in many years, we feel the loss that his departure has left.
Our only regret is that we put off making that visit we had talked about. Good bye Stan - until we meet again in that perfect reunion.
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