Can you be thankful and sad at the same time?
Carl J. McKeever died this morning.
That is the saddest sentence I have ever typed.
He was born April 13, 1912 in the Slick Lizard community just outside Nauvoo, Alabama. His mother, Bessie Lowry McKeever was 17 and his father George was 20. Carl was the first of their 12 children. George would die in his mid-40s of a heart attack, leaving Bessie carrying the yet-to-be-born Georgelle.
Carl dropped out of school in the 7th grade to help earn a living. He carried water for a planer mill for two years, then went to work inside the coal mines, working for his father, doing a man’s work for a man’s wages. For the next 35 years, he worked the mines in North Alabama, Virginia, and West Virginia, without missing one day from accident or sickness. That’s not to say he did not have an accident or wasn’t sick; it’s more a tribute to his work ethic. We found out after his retirement from disability that he had broken his back in those difficult years of the 1940-1950s and had just gone on to work.
In 1930 when Carl met Lois Jane Kilgore at the New Oak Grove Free Will Baptist Church, two miles north of Nauvoo, everything changed for him. Her family life was the essence of stability. This was a church-going, salt-of-the-earth farm family. John Wesley “Virge” Kilgore and his wife Sarah Noles Kilgore had nine children–Lois was in the middle of the pack–each one a winner and each devoted to the others. Carl did a good thing when he married into this family on March 3, 1934.
Early on in their relationship, Dad made a profession of faith and was baptized in the creek that runs between the church and the Kilgore place, three miles up the Poplar Springs Road. He joked that thereafter the creek was called Blackwater. Which it is.
I will not attempt to try to capture in a few words all that this man was. He was a contradiction on many levels, in many ways. Until his middle years, his language was profane (but not obscene; there’s a difference) and he had a temper. When he disciplined his six children–I’m number four–it became an experience you would not soon forget. I would not say he had a love for the bottle in those early years, but a weakness for it would be closer to the truth. He never missed a day of work, always took care of his family, but Mom used to say he could come within a mile of a still and become intoxicated. Thankfully, he gave up even the occasional drink nearly 50 years ago. But I still remember some of those times. You don’t forget them.
Mom and I sometimes laugh about the time Dad came home–this would have been about 1957–under the strong influence, and decided he wanted to kill a hog. Readers with farm experience will know what a major undertaking that is, but there was no one to help but Mom and me. Now, imagine this intoxicated man killing the hog and stringing it up and cutting it open and all that that involves, and him with the staggers, making crude jokes, and Mom and me both laughing and crying at the same time. We eventually got that hog in pieces small enough to put in the freezer, to be dealt with another day. As I say, we laugh now, but it was anything but funny then. Pop would listen to our tale and only faintly smile, having no recollection of the event and probably a little embarrassed by it.
Even back then, Pop would often spend his Sundays sitting by the radio, listening to preachers and gospel singers. I could never figure out how these things meshed inside him. He would read his Bible, and not long ago gave me the little Bible he had used a half-century ago. He had marked the text he heard me preach in my first revival up the road 3 miles in a building now housing a convenience store. John 1:42 “And he brought him to Jesus.” The sermon was a rip-off from one Dwight L. Moody had preached a century earlier. I was impressed that Dad still remembered that.
He bought me my first Bible. We were living in the mining camp called Affinity, 6 miles out from Beckley, West Virginia, and a mile down the railroad track from Sophia. Sometime in late 1948, he told me to come go with him. We walked the track alongside others–this short walk to Sophia (we called it Sophie) was well-trod–and inside a variety store, he asked me to choose the Bible I wanted. The translations were all the same, the KJV, so the choices had to do with color, print, and binding. I chose a black one with a zipper cover, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I read it every day for many years. (It was burned up in our house fire in 1954.)
Looking back, I wonder why Dad did that. He had six children, but bought a Bible for only one.
I am forever humbled by that and eternally grateful.
At funerals, they often display pictures of the honored guest. I have shelves of them, and have just spent an hour going through them, smiling at memories, trying to identify this person or that. Lots are of Dad, and I pulled many out. To my surprise, scorecards from several family games of rummy fell out. For reasons lost in family antiquity, we have played rummy through all these decades. We sit around the dining room table, most often a foursome, laughing, teasing, fussing, enjoying each other in ways and to depths we could not find words to express. Mom never played, but worked in the kitchen nearby and made sure everyone had enough to eat.
One of the scorecards shows Pop and Me playing against Ron and Charlie. Charlie, the youngest of Mom and Dad’s six, went to Heaven in April of 2006 from a massive heart attack, leaving a void in their lives nothing has been able to fill. My siblings will enjoy seeing this card.
My father was a man of faith, but he was such a complicated mixture of faith and opinions, of steadfast rock-solid convictions blended with who knows what all else, I’m just glad it’s up to the Lord to sort it all out. We have no fear that He knows our Dad to love Him and that He has welcomed Pop to his heavenly home.
I was looking through the photos specifically for one I took a couple of years back at the cemetery where Dad’s body will be interred. The tombstone with his and Mom’s names on it had already been erected, and I got him standing beside it. If I find it, we’ll post it on the website (www.joemckeever.com). At the time, I said, “The day will come, Pop, when I’ll come out here and look at this photograph and think of you standing right here.” I was the sentimentalist; he never was. He made some innocuous remark and turned to pose for me.
Thirty or forty years ago, he and I drove from the homeplace near Nauvoo to Birmingham for some reason or other, a 90 minute trip. I laid a small tape recorder in the front seat and recorded the entire conversation. Only when I had to turn the cassette over did he say, “Are you taping this?” But he never let up, commenting on who lives down this road and remembering the time he worked a mines down that road. He loved to talk; people who joke about the Irish kissing the Blarney stone must have been talking about Dad and any of his six children! (I came by it honestly.)
I told him, “There will come a day when I’ll be missing you and I’ll pop this tape in the car and make this same drive to Birmingham and imagine you sitting right there, pointing down this road or that one. It’ll be like having you back.”
Alas, these modern cars don’t even have tape players.
As we neared Jasper, I recall him pointing at a house beside a church and telling of the time that pastor was caught hunting out of season. The church members took up an offering to pay his fine. I said, “I would give anything to have heard the way the fund-raiser laid that on the heart of the congregation. I want that man in my church!”
As a teenager, I rode with Dad to Jasper once when he was on his way to work in the Gorgas mines. He dropped me off at my girlfriend’s house and picked me up 8 hours later on his way home. (Don’t you know Joyce’s mother loved that!) Along the way, I listened as Dad’s riders, miners who carpooled with him, chatted back and forth. What made a lasting impression on this youngster was that the men would be talking over one another until Carl spoke. When he said anything, all conversation ceased and they listened. That’s the kind of respect he generated in other men. I never mentioned it and he had no idea what had just been communicated to his number four offspring.
Some four or five years ago, Dad and I were sitting on the front porch, he on the swing. I said, “Dad, I’m so glad I’ve had the opportunity to see you grow older.” No answer. I said, “You are a far better man now than you were when you were younger.” Pause. Finally he said, “Well, you hope you grow.” And nothing more.
About five feet seven inches high. Usually around 200 pounds. Solid muscle. The strongest man I ever knew. And the toughest. No grandfather ever loved his little ones more than Pop, even though he had trouble remembering all their names and called each one “Shortie.”
Dad filled a room when he walked in. And he has left it mighty empty when he departed.
I had said I was not going to grieve. After all, how could we grieve when we have had our wonderful father for 95-and-a-half years. I mean, who wouldn’t settle for that! And yet….
It was just longer to love him and be loved by him.
The challenge at the funeral * (probably Tuesday morning and definitely at New Oak Grove Free Will Baptist Church near Nauvoo, Alabama) will be to confine our remarks to a brief period. Oldest sibling Ronnie will speak, our longtime pastor Mickey Crane will certainly be the lead preacher, and I expect I’ll be on the program too. Deciding what to say is not the problem; what not to say will be.
For as long as I remember, Dad’s favorite scripture has been Proverbs 22:1, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.”
In my Bible, I’ve highlighted that, written “Pop’s verse” out to the side, and then this note: “McKeever is a far better name as a result of his life.”
I hope to continue that legacy.
(*Kilgore Funeral Home in Jasper, Alabama, is in charge.)
(For those who asked, Mom’s address is: Lois McKeever, 191 County Road 101, Nauvoo, AL 35578.)
Joe—
A beautiful tribute to your dad. Please know that Audrey and I will be holding you in our prayers during these days of grief.
Don
I love to hear your stories, just as much as my dad’s stories of growing up. The one about him buying you a Bible is one of my favorites. Praying for you, and your family, during this time of sadness, may you find reasons for joy and laughter also.
Joe, my heart hurts with you over the death of your beloved Dad. He sounded like someone I would have loved to have known!! I will be praying for you and your precious mother. It will be the hardest for her.You were so blessed to have had your Dad for 95 years! May the Lord give you and your family His sustaining grace, comfort and peace in the days ahead.
In His wonderful name,
Dottie
How my heart breaks for you and your family and at the same time I rejoice with you! How wonderful good memories are. Because of your writings, I feel that I know you and your family. Prayers
Dear Dr. Joe,
Thank you for sharing this beautiful tribute to your dad. We will be thinking of you all as you celebrate his life and his new home.
Joe, My prayers are with you and the family during this difficult time. For years now I have heard you speak of the marvelous relationship you had with your dad. God Bless you dear brother, and we will be praying for you Tuesday. Give our love to your wife and Mother and family. Buddy
Joe, My prayers are with you and the family during this difficult time. For years now I have heard you speak of the marvelous relationship you had with your dad. God Bless you dear brother, and we will be praying for you Tuesday. Give our love to your wife and Mother and family. Buddy
Joe,
I am praying for you and your family. We lost my dad two years ago at the age of 94*(Actually we didn’t lose him, we know where he is). We never get ready to give them up, but it is a comfort to know that our Heavenly Father has a far better place, where there is no more suffering or sorrow. Thanks for your faithfulness in standing men on their feet. I know that our Lord’s grace will be sufficient for you. May the comfort and peace that you have preached to others be felt in the heart and mind of you and yours during this time of sadness.
Jimmy Griffith(Andy’s distant relative)
P.S. I still have the card you sent me and I will always cherish it. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
Bro. Joe,
We think you are already a credit to your father. God bless you and your family, especially that sweet Momma.
Lara Johnson and Nancy Watts
What a wonderful tribute to your Dad. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Joe,
We are saddened to read of your father’s passing. It was always a joy to read of your happiness in returning home and visiting with your mother and father.
May you be conscious of God’s Spirit present with you, bringing you comfort during these times. Our love to you, Margaret, and the family.
Tom
`Dear Bro. Joe,
I can really sympathize with you for my Mother was 93 when she died and my Dad was 90. They had been married for 71 years. My Dad died in 1984 in July,and my Mother left us three months later in October. My girls and I often commented that when parents live that long that it just seems that they are going to live forever, and they do not.
Yes, you will grieve, as you should, but you will also be thankful for the many wonderful memories that you have already shared, and there will be many more from time to time that you will remember.
I would appreciate your printing addresses again for your mother and also for you.
Remembering you in a special way,
Irma Glover
Dear Joe,
My prayers are for you and your family in these days ahead. I lost my dad five years ago last February 27. I shall miss him until God calls me home. Your tribute to your dad is beautiful. I wish I’d known him. I wish I’d made a video or tape recording of Dad tell part of the family history. All I have are memories that in time may fade or become inaccurate. I am thankful for them, though. I never cross a railroad track (Dad was a conductor on the AGS) that I don’t remember him. It was 6 months before I was able to grieve over his death. Even though I knew he was with the Lord, it was a very hard time for me. I will pray for you to receive God’s sustaining comfort.
Thank you for your writings. They inspire me so much.
Jim Hinton
Dr. Joe,
So sorry to hear about your dad. May his memory be cherished by you and your family as long as you live.
It is so sad to lose a parent like that and so sad for your Mother, her (almost) lifelong companion gone. What a blessing you had having both of your parents so long. My Mother died at 67 years of age and my Dad died last year at 82. To live into your 90’s is such an accomplishment. I will be praying for you and your family.
PAT KRUSE
Joe: So sorry to hear about your dad. But I rejoice because the child of God never dies. We just change places where we reside. Your remarks brought memories of my father who passed away in 1995 at age 86.
Our prayers will be with you and all the family.
Don and Anna Cole
Joe,
Spencer sent us your letter(as usual) and we were saddened to hear of your father’s death..Yet what a blessing to live to 95 and to still know your family and enjoy them! We will be thinking of you and your family especially on Tuesday as you remember your dad and celebrate his life.. May God hold you close during this time…
In His Love,
Claire and Steve Parlier
Joe, I have been blessed by your stories about your dad. I feel like I know him even though I’ve never met him. I love you, my brother, and I pray for your mom and family. You have one more reason to look forward to going to heaven.
Alan
Joe: So sorry to hear about your dad. But what wonderful memories you carry! We can be thankful to God for a parent like that. May God surround your family with His love.
In His love and mine,
Bob Ford
Dear Brother Joe:
Your Brother (and my Friend) Charles will give your Dad a fine welcome. Of this I am certain! Chaz celebrated the life of his Dad while both were alive. As I was reading about your own tribute to your Dad, Chaz’s anecdotes about his own family life outside Nauvoo were given an added dimension. I know the deeper meaning behind your introductory sentence. Please pass my blessings on to the McKeever family.
What a blessing to have had your Father that long. God be with you & yours. We are praying for you. Have been getting your email for sometime now & really enjoy it. Was given to me By a friend of yours Bobby Hood.
Bro. Joe, you and your family are in our prayers. Your words are a tribute to your father and your life is a tribute to your father. I rejoice with you because you know that you will see your father again in a little while.
Bro.Joe;
Elaine and I offer our love, sympathy and prayers to you and your family at this time. Only a Christian can understand the experience of joy, sadness and relief at a time like this. But only a Christian can know that God’s love is so great that it can fill that big empty hole in our hearts until we see that loved one again. We love you folks.
Freddie and Elaine Arnold
Dr. Joe: Sandy and I will remember you and the family during this time. I will mention his passing in the service tomorrow also.
Joe, we grieve and celebrate with you in the death of your precious father. He raised a wonderful son that we are proud to call friend and brother. He would have loved your tribute! Please know your family will be in our prayers as always.
Barbara & Richard Burden
Deepest sympathy on the loss of your father. Words don’t seem to do justice, so I will just say my heart hurts for you and your family while at the same time rejoicing for your dad.
Brother Joe
As I read of your Dad’s Promotion, I was reminded of your article “Before You Leave Us”, written late September. It reminds us that when the Lord prompts us to do something we had better get busy.
I have been blessed and challenged as your articles come through. Remembering you and your family at this time and looking forward to seeing that photo on your blog!
Blessings
Brian
Dear Joe,
Your words about your Dad are beautiful, moving. Thanks for sharing your heart with all of us.
We will pray for you and others to say just the words of remembrance that will bring honor both to your Dad and our Heavenly Father.
David
Brother Joe: Your Dad’s passing will put a new and even richer perspective on the death of elderly saints. You have experienced a great loss. My daily prayers and deep appreciation continue with you. Tom Murphy
Brother Joe,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this time. I too, have a tape recording of not only my dad but my mom, two grandmothers and aunt and uncle who have died and gone on to be with the Lord. My dad had taped the conversation around the Thanksgiving dinner table. When I listen to it, it is like they never left. What joy and comfort to know that they are now in the prescence of the Lord.
Bro Joe,
Our deepest sympathy and our prayers go out to you. Over the years I have always enjoyed the articles you have written about your parents and your family life as a boy. As you said, it is a time for happiness and sadness.
David & Carolyn Fox
Joe:
I am sad for you and your family at your father’s passing. You have lost your hero and friend. God bless you in these days of sorrow and loss. I’m praying for you. — Mike
Joe:
So sorry to hear the news of your father’s death, but yes, you can be thankful and sad at the same time. I experienced that when my father died 3 years ago this past June. He is in a far better place with no more suffering, but I sure do miss him! Your friends in Charlotte will be praying for you and yours this week.
Joe,
You would have liked my Dad–sounds like you had one just like him. Substitute “plant work” in Baton Rouge for coal mines, subtract a few years, and you have my Dad. Not a day goes by I don’t think about him and what his presence in my life meant–even though we argued all the time about politics and Baptist churches! I always thought that the primary reason I like you so much is our mutual love of gab.” Boy was I wrng! Seems we both were blessed to have “larger than life” fathers. I cnnot attend the funeral–surely do want to–but will be running the Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa regional committee on that day. BUT–you will be in my prayers.
Lonnie
Joe,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. We love you.
Donna
Thanks for sharing your Dad with us. I met him once, but knew him well from your stories. Thanks for showing us how to bless our parents and how to be faithful in encouraging family relationships. Since we are “just passing through” this life we join you in the happiness you feel regarding the homegoing of Brother Carl McKeever. Our love and prayers are for you and the family.
Bill and Barbara
Joe,
Thanks for sharing your father with the rest of us.
Paul
Jana and I are praying for you and your family as you travel, as you laugh, and as you cry. What a beatiful time to share with family when you have assurance of your father’s eternal home. We love you.
Dear Brother Joe,
Our prayers go out to your family in the passing of your father and your childrens’ grandfather. The stories you shared over the years about him make us all feel as if we knew him personally. Thanks for sharing your rich family heritage with us. God bless and keep you and yours in His loving embrace in the days ahead. Love you and your family.
Gail and Jim Smith
Hey Joe
I too wanted to let you know I will pray for your mother and siblings. As another who have been blessed with a GREAT dad, I can only dream that God would give me as long with my dad as he allowed you to have with yours. Blessings!
Jay and Michelle Adkins
Joe,
Be assured of our thoughts and prayers for you and your family. May The Great Comforter be your Encourager & strength.
God bless,
Sam & Lucy Crawford
Joe, What wonderful memories you have shared and I’m sure there will be more to come.You have never been a man of few words. You’re kinda like E F HUTTON……when he speaks……we listen.
May God’s grace carry you and your loved ones.
I love you.Keep it coming.
Brother Joe,
Our prayers and thoughts go out for you and your family, especially your Mom. I know our Lord is wrapping His arms of love around her and the family as you go through this difficult time.
With sympathy and blessings,
Wes and Connie Carter
Thank you for sharing your family with us. We feel your loss and you and LOIS will be in my prayers now and Tuesday too.I kept your article
“Before you leave us” We will pray for all the family. May God Bless You wILLIE MAE MARTIN
Joe, Be assured of our prayers for you and your family during these painful, yet joyful, days. Your remembrances of your Dad were words of silver; an inspiration to all of us to be faithful and to love our families and friends. You were fortunate to have had your father in your life for so many years. My father, also, had a drinking problem early in his life. He also quit drinking years before he died. You and I have much in common. Our love to Margaret and the family. Dixon and Carolyn
Brother Joe and McKeever clan;
You know you have been blessed to have had parents living and loving for so long. I often thought that Karl McKeever and my own little Father in Law might have been related. They were very much the same in many ways. I often long to visit North Carolina again. You will find that you have a longing just to tell Dad….
God Bless you and yours as you travel.
Gloria Twiggs
I walk by Faith and Live in His Amazing Grace,
because He is Faithful and His Grace is Sufficient.
Dear Joe & Margaret,
I am sorry for your loss. In a small way,I feel it, too. Your love and respect for your DAD and Mother has been so evident through your tales of home. I hope that our sons communicate such love and wonderful memories of home to their friends. What a beautiful picture of “honoring your Father and Mother” you have exemplified. Thanks for the example.
Our prayers will hold the pressure on the wound of your grief.
Much love.
Mary and Steve
Joe, thank you for sharing your father with us during his life and for sharing with us now that he is the house prepared for him by Jesus. I know that the Lord will use you all to be a part of a wonderful homegoing celebration.
If I had been saved earlier in the year back in the early 1960s I would have been baptized in that same Blackwater where your father was baptized. However it was winter and I was baptized in the unheated baptisty at First Baptist Double Springs since Lynn Baptist had no baptistry.
Your father and mother are heroes of the faith. I thank God for them both. We will lift your family up in prayer.
Bro. Joe,
I know what you are going through and in time you will experience greif but for the moment celebrate the wonderful life of your dad. As a result of your sharing I can see how the statement you made regarding your Dad’s favorite verse in Proverbs is true. You are certainly holding up your end of the verse.
Thanks for being transparent with your feelings and convictions. We need more of that.
Blessings on you and your family,
Gibbie
Joe,
Sorry to hear of your father’s death. I’ve always appreciated your stories about him and your obvious love and respect for him. Be sure of our prayers over the next several days especially!
Joe: My thoughts and prayers are with you and all the family, especially your wonderful Mother. The true blessing for her is that she will have so much of the family there to help her grieve at the loss of your Dad and to celebrate his amazing life. Your family is truly blessed to have had this husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather in your lives for such a long time and we, your readers and friends, are blessed to have known him through your words.
God bless you and all of your family.
Si
Joe, the old cliche “your loss is heaven’s gain,” is as true as it has always been. When I was at Emmanuel in Greenville, I received a C, S. Lovett. entitled “Graduation to Glory,” and Heaven celebrated your dad’s graduation when he entered into God’s glory. I am praying for you
and your family “through it all.” Hugh Martin.
Bro. Joe,
You’re articles are always such a blessing! Thanks for sharing this endearing glimpse into your life and that of your father. What a beautiful tribute to him. My prayers will be with you and your family.
Joe,
What a wondeful tribute to your father. I imagine he felt he had wondeful children as well. What a great reunion we will all have in heaven.
Blessings dear brother,
Jerry Garrard
Our hearts are sadened by your news just received. Your writing is a great tribute to your Dad. Please know we are thinking of you and Margaret and your Mother.
Joe:
Thank you for sharing your father with us. He sounds a lot like my Dad. I could call Dad with questins like, “Who was the fourth Marx brother?” And he would know.
Dad went to Glory several years ago but one year I lost my mother. She passed on her 87th birthday. If I am to think “Logically” I am sixty-four years old and have known for at least 55 years that some day I would probably have to bury my mother. Intelligence along tells me I should be ready. But God gave us something far greater than intelligence or logic. He gave us love. The beauty of love is that while it hurts when we are separated, it never ends. May God grant that you can rest your hand in His during the difficult times ahead. God bless you and your family.
Just read your tribute to your dad. Thank you for sharing his story with us. Grief is hard work; we’ll be praying for you and your family as you go through that dark valley.
Your friends,
Hope and Jerry Ferguson
Joe and Family,
Thru your words I will know your dad is when I enter into the presence of the Host of Host. I look forward to meeting him! From the Vise and Coleman families we send our love and prayers to your Mom and your family.
Yogi
Bro. Joe,
What wonderful memories to carry with you of your father!
My prayers are with you and your family as you grieve his loss in this earthly realm. But what joy your father now has with the Lord!
Sheri Edwards
Joe,
In revival this week with Dr. Billy Smith of Madison, MS. He sends his condolences along with Diane and me.
Thank you for your insightful writings, and encouragement through your blog.
May the God of all comfort comfort and strengthen you and your family during the days and weeks and months to come.
God bless you as you continue faithfully serving our Lord and Savior.
Tommy & Diane Winders
Dr. Billy Smith
God bless you and your family. We appreciate your ministry and your friendship.
Joe, what a wonderful tribute to your dad. I have walked in your shoes, having lost my dad in 1997. The memories are precious.
Joe, my heart is heavy for you and your family. I saw the post and I was expecting some humorous anecdote about your father; I never expected this. I know the road you are traveling and it is long, but God will be there to walk it with you. Just place your heart in His hand now and He will ease the pain. May God bless you and your family with comfort and peace and joy as your Dad joins the saints in Heaven. Our prayers are with you and your family.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brad Walker
Bro. Joe,
Having walked where you walk today, please know my thoughts and prayers are with you and your dear family. Blessings in Jesus.
Randall
Bro Joe
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this time.
Bro Joe
You are in my thoughts and prayers. You were a great comfort to my family when we lost my grandmother (she was 101) and you said it best, it was longer to love her and be loved by her.
God bless you!
Thanks for sharing – truly “GOD IS LOVE”. We don’t have the words, only the bond of love as found in Christ. May our Lord truly continue to bless and keep you and yours, and especially your Mother during this time of grief and adjustment.
Yours in Christ,
Ed
Bro. Joe,
I was saddened on your behalf upon hearing of your father’s passsing because I know how much he meant in your life. I rejoice, however, with your father, that he is free to truly worship the king. My father was a great inspiration to me and while I miss him dearly even these 11 years later, I am so glad he was my dad; I’m sure you feel the same. Carolyn and I, as well as the Irish Channel family wish you our very best. John 14:6
Cornelius
I only met Carl(“Pop”) twice, but I knew he was a special person. I was Carolyn and Van’s pastor at the time. “Mom” was a servant to “Pop”. My how special this family has been to so many different pastor’s families down through the years. When the devil would attack a pastor, this family was standing in the Lord’s corner with that pastor and the pastor’s family. Our Heavenly Father knows who “Pop” is and recognizes him as one of His children. Carl and the Lord have been in the same corner and room many times. What a mansion he must have waitng for “Mom.” My prayer is that the Lord will continue to bless the McKeever family. So, until we see Carl “Pop” again, face to face, may all of us “keep the faith” and the memories! Amen.
Ray Crump
Joe,
We where so sorry to learn of the reason you could not be with us last Friday, but you and yours where in our prayers.
Your eloquent words about life with your father brought back some poignant memories of my own father who passed several years ago at age 78. Time has healed the loss but the memories are forever. We will keep on praying
So sorry to hear about your Dad, would have been there if I had known in time. I have enjoyed reading your tribute and memories of your Dad. Give my love to Margaret and Children. Still miss you being my Pastor. Love to all, Gloria