Eulogy for a Great Man!

on . Posted in Patriot News Network

My father was a great man.

Not just because he was my father; he was great man in his own right.

My father was born in the early part of the 20th century.

As he grew up, he realized that he wanted to be a doctor; he wanted to help people to be healthy. More than that, he had a passion for medicine. Yet he was a Jewish man from a poor family. In those days it was difficult enough for Jews to get into medical school; without financial resources it was almost impossible.

But dad would not listen to the “experts” who told him to give up his mad dream of practicing medicine and do something else - something more practical - with his life.

Dad would not accept practical suggestions that deprived him of his dream. Instead, he studied hard, constantly learning about his chosen profession, oblivious to the sizable number of people telling him that he just couldn’t be a doctor.

He ended up with the second highest GPA at New York University during the entire decade of the 1940s. His grades were so good that he was able to get into medical school. He became a doctor, and he loved being a doctor.

Not only that, dad was famous. I never knew that until one day, going through and organizing some of his old books, I discovered an article on a condition with his name on it. Dad studied hematology - his medical specialty - with the man who discovered the field. He was regarded as top in his chosen field, though his humility prevented him from ever claiming accolades for his achievements.

Dad was an old fashioned doctor; he told me many times that he believed almost everything that went wrong with the human body would correct itself; doctors could hopefully help when the body couldn’t heal on its own. He was not a pill-pusher; he did not prescribe in order to promote sales of medicines… he cared first and foremost about his patients.

He used to have patients whom he had seen for decades come to his office just to talk, and he always made time to listen. I even remember him making house calls when necessary!

But what made my father a great man was that he persevered in pursuit of his dreams, despite being told they were unreasonable. He committed himself to a vision in which he could spend his life helping people to live longer and better lives.

Dad had the courage of his convictions. In a world where principle and conviction too often take a back seat to more practical concerns such as money, position and convenience, my father never wavered from his principles. He was both humble and honest.

His example has been and continues to be my inspiration. Everything I have accomplished in life has been due to my dedication to principle, which I learned from dad. Every person I have touched with my own passion and expertise, everyone I have been able to help and the lives I have benefited by my knowledge and experience; all these are the direct result of the example set for me by my father. And I am just one person.

Consider all those people whose lives he saved or prolonged. Consider what they were able to do with the time dad gave them; who they touched with their lives as a result of dad’s efforts. Consider how he touched each of you, and the ways in which he made a difference in your life.

My father touched the lives of countless numbers of people. I believe that each life he touched was made better for the experience; and those same people dad touched went on to touch the lives of others, who in turn would touch others, in a never-ending cycle.

If you toss a pebble into the ocean it creates ripples, and those ripples continue long past your ability to see them. Dad created innumerable ripples in the Ocean of Life; we will never know the full extent of the good he has done for our world. We will never be able to quantify how much of a difference he made to us all. But of this I am certain: the ripples he started will continue to make a positive impact on the lives of many people in many places.

There are few times in my life I have ever used the word “admire”. To look up to someone in some way separates me from that person, so while I respect and love, I tend not to “admire”. One of the very few exceptions is dad.

I admired my father; I still do. I looked up to him; I still do. He was and is my inspiration and moral support. If I have ever helped anyone with my knowledge and dedication, it is due to the influence dad continues to have on me.

He leaves behind a legacy from which any and all of us may become better people: to stand true to our convictions and dedicate ourselves with passion to the principles in which we believe.

My dad leaves an imprint on our world that we should never forget. He will forever be remembered in the hearts and minds of those he touched, and those they touched, and there have been so many.

I can only strive to live my life with as much integrity as did my father; the same is true for each of you. He leaves us a blueprint of how to live a good life. He wasn’t fancy, but his life had genuine meaning in the Scheme of Things.

Thank you dad, for being such a shining example to me of truth, justice and love.

My father was a great man. He is now with my mother, whom he dearly and truly loved; they are finally and forever together again. He has earned a place at God’s Table. I miss him terribly. I love him deeply. Our world is diminished by his loss.

Eulogies

Eulogy for an Angel
1992-Dec. 20, 2005

Freedom
2003-2018

Freedom sm

My Father
1918-2010

brents dad

Dr. Stan Dale
1929-2007

stan dale

MICHAEL BADNARIK
1954-2022

L Neil Smith

A. Solzhenitsyn
1918-2008

solzhenitsyn

Patrick McGoohan
1928-2009

mcgoohan

Joseph A. Stack
1956-2010

Bill Walsh
1931-2007

Walter Cronkite
1916-2009

Eustace Mullins
1923-2010

Paul Harvey
1918-2009

Don Harkins
1963-2009

Joan Veon
1949-2010

David Nolan
1943-2010

Derry Brownfield
1932-2011

Leroy Schweitzer
1938-2011

Vaclav Havel
1936-2011

Andrew Breitbart
1969-2012

Dick Clark
1929-2012

Bob Chapman
1935-2012

Ray Bradbury
1920-2012

Tommy Cryer
1949-2012

Andy Griffith
1926-2012

Phyllis Diller
1917-2012

Larry Dever
1926-2012

Brian J. Chapman
1975-2012

Annette Funnicello
1942-2012

Margaret Thatcher
1925-2012

Richie Havens
1941-2013

Jack McLamb
1944-2014

James Traficant
1941-2014

jim traficant

Dr. Stan Monteith
1929-2014

stan montieth

Leonard Nimoy
1931-2015

Leonard Nimoy

Stan Solomon
1944-2015

Stan Solomon

B. B. King
1926-2015

BB King

Irwin Schiff
1928-2015

Irwin Schiff

DAVID BOWIE
1947-2016

David Bowie

Muhammad Ali
1942-2016

Muhammed Ali

GENE WILDER
1933-2016

gene wilder

phyllis schlafly
1924-2016

phylis schafly

John Glenn
1921-2016

John Glenn

Charles Weisman
1954-2016

Charles Weisman

Carrie Fisher
1956-2016

Carrie Fisher

Debbie Reynolds
1932-2016

Debbie Reynolds

Roger Moore
1917-2017

Roger Moore

Adam West
1928-2017

Adam West

JERRY LEWIS
1926-2017

jerry lewis

HUGH HEFNER
1926-2017

Hugh Hefner

PROF. STEPHEN HAWKING
1942-2018

Hugh Hefner 

ART BELL
1945-2018

Art Bell

DWIGHT CLARK
1947-2018

dwight clark

CARL MILLER
1952-2017

Carl Miller

HARLAN ELLISON
1934-2018

Harlan Ellison

STAN LEE
1922-2018

stan lee

CARL REINER
1922-2020

Carl Reiner

SEAN CONNERY
1930-2020

dwight clark

L. NEIL SMITH
1946-2021

L Neil Smith

JOHN STADTMILLER
1946-2021

L Neil Smith