John J. Babiel
(Eulogy presented at St. Edwards Church on June 17, 2016)
In Honor of My Brother
As we are gathered here in the church of our youth,
let's reflect on the extraordinary life Bill led.
Bill lived a simple, but exemplary life.
He never asked for much,
but was truly grateful for what he had.
For example, he was a very generous man.
He'd give you the car he was driving if you needed it.
I know, because back when I was going to school and didn't have a car,
he gave me his car so that I could date my then future wife of 50 years, Darla.
Not only was he giving, but he was also forgiving.
When he was young, he like fast, powerful cars.
The car he let me use was his 1959 Ford Galaxies 500,
4-speed stick shift.
I wasn't used to driving such powerful cars.
It was snowing one night while I had his car.
On my way home, I was turning into a street.
The backend of his car came around
and I found myself coming out of the street I was going into.
He forgave me.
He used his self-deprecating sense of humor to see the
humor of it all, then as he did throughout his life.
He loved animals.
I remember telling him I had just shot a pilfering rabbit
that was making lunch out of the flowers I had just planted.
He helped me see things from the rabbit's point of view.
I put my gun away.
Now I have rabbits, squirrels, moles, you name it
scampering around my yard.
So many, that my neighbors are wondering where they are all coming from.
He had a special fondness for dogs that no one else wanted.
I remember Buster, a junkyard dog if ever there was one.
He had spiky hair, and an apparently skin disease.
Buster was followed by swarm of flies wherever he went.
But Bill loved him as only Bill could.
In many ways, Bill was our family's St. Francis.
Finally, Bill was the embodiment of patience.
I'm sure many of you witnessed that first hand.
Amazingly, In his 71 years, I never saw him angry.
A little annoyed maybe, but never really angry.
He was a truly gentle man.
So brother Bill, may God continue to bless you
with His love and His peace
now and forever.
Amen
John J. Babiel