These are the words that Ron’s dad, Lester, was greeted with on September 12, 2011. What wonderful words those were! We know he looked forward to hearing those precious words his entire life.
I was blessed to have this second father in my life for 22 years. He gladly welcomed me into the family and made me feel a part of it right away. He was always willing to help, whether it meant letting Ronnie and I live with them for a while, moving us to Dallas, hauling all of our worldly possessions to Virginia Beach, household repairs, projects with the kids or just coming to visit us wherever we lived.
Lester and Mary traveled to each and every grandchild’s baptism and confirmation and graduation (up until this last year, when he just wasn’t strong enough to make Cameron’s graduation). He built changing tables, toy boxes and book shelves for our kids. When I look around our house, I see his touch everywhere. He ripped up the carpet on our basement stairs and replaced it with hard flooring and slip strips. He replaced the old linoleum floor in my kitchen with laminate wood flooring. 
He traveled to Iowa for several Christmas and Easter celebrations.
We spent many happy summer vacations in Canada. Grandpa was always easily spotted in his Orange Tide cap, and he was always more than happy to give the kids a boat ride!
He was always up for a game of cards or Dominoes. Many, many hours were spent around a table with a deck or two of cards, or tiles for dominoes.
Lester enjoyed travelling and he was an active member of his church. He had a strong, solid, unshakable faith, that was easily evident in all he said and did. He was an encourager and supporter of his children (and their spouses), and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Even though we are all spread out, Lester and Mary managed to attend various activities and events of all of the grandchildren. He loved his family and was very proud of all of us. He didn’t hesitate to let us know that we’d done a good job, and I know that all of my kids heard some form of the words “Good job…that was nice…I’m proud of you!” from him.
Grandkids…although there are a couple of changes from this 2009 picture.
The family…again…with a few changes.
My kids have been SO blessed with a rich heritage of faith and family that they received from their grandfathers. They were both solid, sure and steady men who were secure in their salvation, and took great pride in their families. My prayer is that my own children will carry on, and continue to build on that foundation that their grandpas started, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds it all together.
Lester will be remembered for so many things…his work ethic, his story telling, his jokes and sense of humor, his steady influence, his solid faith in Christ and his love for his church and his family. His passing has left a hole in our hearts, but we are praising God for the gift of faith that Lester was given at his baptism when his parents brought him to the font as an infant. (Lester was one of those rare folks in our world who was baptized, confirmed, married and buried at the same little white country church). Because of that faith, we are secure in the knowledge that there is a glorious reunion awaiting us all in heaven…that day that WE all look forward to…when it is OUR turn to hear those words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
