Hello everyone. My name is Ruthie and I'm the youngest of Larry's 6 children. As I stand here I see friends and relatives who have come a great distance to be here for my Dad. I am humbled at how he must have touched your lives.
I could speak today on all of the amazing accomplishments and things that my Dad has done (he was a man who wore MANY hats) but the one that I hold dearest to my heart is remembering my Dad as a family man. My Dad craved his family and always needed to be close, whether it be a simple gesture as to be able to pick up his granddaughters from school to spend an afternoon with them laughing and giggling, indulging in an everyday visit for ice cream only for them to always come home with a secret. Or where it was a giant family dinner or time spent together as a family, with our most cherished moments of a Christmas Eve. (That will never be the same without him). Growing up, I remember my Dad going out of his way to make the simplest of things special. Like Dad knocking at the door, hiding behind a fresh-cut Christmas tree and speaking in a small voice, "I'm Mr. Christmas Tree. Can I come in?" Or making sure he was front and center at a grandchild's choir concert, beaming with pride. (Then letting everyone there know how proud he was). My Dad had a great ability to celebrate you and all your triumphs, and he had an even better ability to catch you when you'd fall. My Dad gave the best advice. He was someone you could always run home to. Even when you didn't want to hear what you should be doing, he was always right in the end. You could even see a simple look if he approved or disapproved. After every talk we'd had about bad things happening, my Dad always said, "Rise above the mire, you're a Jamison and you come from great stock. And if all else fails, channel your inner Irene." And if anyone knows my grandmother, she got things DONE!
My Dad truly cared about and loved people. He enjoyed his employment at Valley View Health Care Center and developed relationships with the residents and staff. He was a man who saw everybody or who they truly were.
My Dad had an amazing sense of humor. He never missed an opportunity to make someone laugh. I'm really going to miss seeing him do doughnuts in his little care in the middle of a packed grocery aisle. I'm going to miss seeing the hundreds of pictures in which my Dad chose to photobomb. He was really a child at heart. His humor rubbed off on all who were around him. No one was upset around Dad for too long.
My Dad has now left us kids with a unique set of skills we will use the rest of our lives. For instance, how to make the perfect glass of chocolate milk and stir the heck out of it without breaking the glass (which he's done more than once). How to "properly" decorate the Christmas tree (stand back and forth, squinting, checking for holes), only to rearrange every ornament after we'd gone to bed (Sorry to my girls that is a very real skill that I've taken to heart). Dad showed us how to truly love and care about every living thing. To reach out to those in need of a friend, a smile, or a hug, companionship and love. Dad showed us craftsmanship, taking pride in things we worked with. As well as taking pride in who we are and how we conducted ourselves around others. He taught us how to be adventurous, with my brothers sharing a common interest in artifacts, from Indians to gemstones and a love of exploring and the thrill of discovery. He really knew how to "rough it". He taught us to see the beauty in EVERYTHING, even an old hornet's nest. My Dad taught of style and class, as he would say "I'm always dressed to impress", then he'd twist his mustache. He always told us to remember who we are and where we come from and to take pride in that heritage.
I'll close with the words of meg Conely: Now what? What about today as I say goodbye? After all the hugs and embraces from family and friends, after I am finally alone to breathe and gather my thoughts. I'll sit and remember my father absent from distraction and dismay, and I know what I will find. There's a daddy whose body has been taken, but whose heart is near. There is love and the blessing of time given and time taken. There are hope and faith. There is the brush of something greater than you and me, something that carries the smell of stars and the impression of truths straight and gleaming and multi-dimensional. And there in that quiet space is the assurance of a Father's voice, rocking back and forth against my heart, saying "Don't worry, Sweetheart. I am right here. You can do this."
Dad, your love, your patience, your understanding, your wisdom and your amazing sense of humor will live on inside of us forever. You have given us gifts that are more precious than anything in this world. You've loved us from the time you met us, but we have loved you our whole lives. It's not goodbye, but I'll see you later!
Ruthie Jamison Brady
Dec 2018
