Jeff's Talk "Father and Friend"

Thank you to everyone who has made an effort to be here today. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for us. WE thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your prayers and kind words bring a spirit of healing and peace to all of us. We feel a tremendous amount of gratitude that we have such amazing family and friends. I want to specifically thank this wonderful ward for the friendship and so many expressions of kindness and love. My father enjoyed so much his fellowship with the saints.

We are particularly thankful for all the memories of my father that were shared with us over the last week since his passing. They are great reminders of fun times and precious moments.

I have reflected deeply on the meaningful history that we have shared with this amazing man Gelder William Lewis.

MY FATHER MY FRIEND.

The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ reassured His disciples that in His death He would not leave them comfortless. I hope that some of what I share with you today will bring you comfort. I also desire today that you will feel the Holy Spirit and know the love that our Savior has for us.

This pulpit is a familiar place to me. This Church Building holds a special place in my heart. From the age of 5 when my family moved from Hawaii I have memories of this place, important and sacred learning experiences here where I learned that I am a Child of GOD. This is the first place that I publicly bore my personal testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ. My Dad was here with me.

We had a lot of fun here. We had pinewood derbies car races here, bike derbies, Church basketball games, Youth activities, Christmas parties, and so much more. At all of these events I was supported by my Dad. He helped me build the pinewood derby cars, he fixed my bikes with me, he was there with me all the way.

My father baptized me at the age of 8 in a Church not far from here. He ordained me to be a Deacon, Teacher, Priest and Elder in this building. A few years ago in the Church building where I was baptized my father ordained me to be a High Priest. My father honored his priesthood. While my father was serving in the bishopric here in this ward I was serving in a bishopric in my ward. He would ask me how things were going in my ward and share insights and observations. He loved to serve his fellow man. Whatever was asked of him he did it with a smile and with love.

As a young man I did not realize how fortunate I was to have such a wonderful mentor, teacher and friend. My Father was my first Home teaching companion. He taught me at a very young age the important responsibility that we have to help and love one another. When I say that he taught me this he didn’t stand there and preach to me he showed me. His sermon was his service.

He taught me respect for women, respect for Motherhood, respect for ourselves and most importantly respect to God.

My father was with me through the most important stages of my life.

As you know he was so much fun. And he loved cars. When I was 12 years old my dad took me to the races in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin. The famous track called ROAD AMERICA. I had no idea what we were doing but it sounded like fun. And I loved being with my dad. A close friend of his from High School Glen Wigglesworth had bought an Alfa Romeo T33 can-am car and invited my dad to partner with him so they could race it together. This was in 1985. They had a professional driver and the day before the race they had the car drivers take the volunteers workers of the track around in the cars. This was the chance of a lifetime to ride in these amazing cars around this beautiful track. You were supposed to be 18 years old. But my dad picked me up threw me in the Alfa Romeo and pointed to the driver to take off. We took some very memorable laps around that amazing track. I had purple converse chuck taylor shoes that I thought were going to melt off my feet because of all the vibration and heat from the engine. The driver later laughed with us telling my Dad that I looked like this. Moments like this told me that my dad wanted me to have great memorable experiences and he always wanted me to jump at the opportunity to have a great adventure. I will strive for the rest of my life to provide exhilarating experiences for my boys. He wanted me to have these once in a lifetime experiences.

Our dad took special opportunity to have one on one time like this with his children. Trace and I were talking just a few days ago about a special trip they took together to southern UT and how meaningful this time was.

I was talking to a business associate of my dad’s in Texas a few days ago and she wanted to tell me about the struggling population of horny toads in Texas. And she was hoping that the Horny Toad that Tyler had brought back to Utah many years ago was still thriving here. My Dad took Tyler to Texas by himself and brought him back with a horny toad.

The one on one time was very special and he made sure that we each had time to be with him and talk about what was important to us.

Our dad was very generous. He loved to share. He loved to share his time and visit with family and friends. He let anybody that wanted to drive his cars. This surprised people sometimes. He loved to see the look on people’s faces when he would burn rubber. He would be driving very respectfully down Shepard Lane and out of nowhere he would slam it into first hit the gas fishtail around a corner and go through all the gears flying up highway 89. And he loved to see the stunned faces of his passengers. He would look at us in the rear view mirror with a big smile.

When I was 17 years old my dad took me to a Mustang car club slalom race in Park City. He entered both of us in the race. I remember the organizer talking with my Dad and saying. “Well Bill, Jeff is not 18.” Will you be responsible for him if something happens? YES he would say. And then tell me that I better not crash the car. He trusted me. He let me drive his car in the slalom. He took 3rd place and I took 4th. I am reminded by this great lesson that I need to trust people even when I am a little nervous.

My Dad spent a great deal of time with me in Scouts. Campouts were very fun with my Dad. A few months before my eighteenth birthday I was working at the Wild West shoot out at LAGOON. This was a fun job. And I was trying to save some money for my mission. But, I had not completed my Eagle rank in the Boy Scouts of America. I had been a Life scout for probably 4 years. We had a conflict with something in my work schedule and It looked like I may not be able to travel to do my Eagle project in Durango Colorado with my troop. I told him about this dilemma and said sadly I probably can’t get my Eagle. He explained very seriously to me that even if I lost my job I needed to get my Eagle scout award. You see my Dad was a Life Scout. He always regretted not getting his Eagle and wanted to see me achieve this. My father drove me all the way to Durango to meet up with my Troop then turned around and drove home. It was about a 15 hour round trip. My dad impacted my life because he helped me see that when you start out on a goal you don’t give up. You stick with it and find ways to accomplish it even when it looks hard. Don’t give up! Because of my dads support and example, I earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

My Dad was a great story teller. He would tell great stories all the time. If it was a funny story many times he would start laughing so hard that he couldn’t finish the story.

My dad would say….”I want to tell you about a BOBCAT. A group of friends were out in the woods and found a bobcat in a trap. They found an old trunk and put the bobcat inside. Once in the trunk they thought it would be fun to leave the trunk on the side of the road with the BOBCAT still inside and see what would happen. Soon after leaving it on the side of the road, a truck stopped, grabbed the trunk and sped off. Sorry, I can’t finish this story because at this point my dad would be laughing so hard he would have tears streaming down his face and could never get the rest of the story out. And we would all have tears of laughter too.

Father and Friend: Here is a special thought from my sister Kelsey:

When I was in junior high school and my friends and I wanted to pursue social activities, but couldn’t drive ourselves around, my father was our personal chauffer and party host. He would drive us to the movies or a haunted house for Halloween or doorbell ditching a boy’s house and sit in the car and wait for us even if it took hours. My friends were surprised how willing my father was to spend this kind of time with a bunch of adolescent girls. At one point I asked my Dad why he always offered to be the driver or the host when other parents were too busy. He said he was happy to spend as much time with me as he could because someday I’d grow up and wouldn’t want him hanging around so much. Well, that day never came, Dad. I never grew tired of spending time with you and I will forever cherish our time together.

While Dad had his professional pursuits, he cared more about spending time with his children and family than his own personal hobbies or interests. We talk about him loving cars, but he always took the family along to the races. He would work hard all week, but worked equally hard at home to care for his children. My Dad cooked, cleaned, did laundry, drove carpool and changed diapers. And he was a tender and nurturing father.

My Dad had an Angel in his life. A living beautiful, pink grandma named Mary Kay. She is his queen. He loves her so much. Mary Kay, we want to thank you for your love, tenderness, and dedication to our Dad. You took such good care of him. Your love for him gave him extra strength and courage to overcome tough physical challenges. We love you very much.

President Joseph F. Smith (April Conference 1916)

"I believe we move and have our being in the presence of heavenly messengers and of heavenly beings. We are not separated from them. We are closely related to our kindred, to our ancestors...who have preceded us into the spirit world. We cannot forget them; we do not cease to love them; we always hold them in our hearts, in memory, and thus we are associated and united to them by ties that we cannot break. If this is the case with us in our finite condition, surrounded by our mortal weaknesses, how much more certain it is...to believe that those who have been faithful who have gone beyond...can see us better than we can see them, that they know us better than we know them.

I claim that we live in their presence, they see us, they are solicitous for our welfare, they love us now more than ever. For now they see the dangers that beset us; they can comprehend better than ever before....hence their solicitude for us and their love for us and their desire for our well being must be greater than that which we feel for ourselves."

Before my father passed away there were many tender mercies. He was struggling to walk and tried to hide that he was not doing well so he could attend my son Isaac’s Aaronic Priesthood ordination. I will never forget that and I know Isaac will not forget that his Papa Bill was there.

My Dad had many difficult things happen throughout his life. He wrote on the inside of his personal scriptures in bold letters…

TRIALS ARE MANDATORY MISERIES ARE OPTIONAL. What an amazing attitude he had through all difficulties.

When I was on my mission he wrote me every week. He knew what I was doing was hard and he sent me letters that helped me through very difficult times.

I have thought and prayed to know what he would want me to say to you. First of all he loves you. He loves all of you. He wants you to know that. He wants you to know that he has a testimony that Jesus Christ lives that he is the son of God.

Gelder William Lewis was my best friend. My Dad was my best friend. He was my best man at my wedding. One of the greatest blessings of my life is that he is my father. His life was a living sermon. I will forever strive to be like him.

the Book of Mormon it says:

Alma 40:11 - 12

11 …The spirits of all men, … are taken home to that God who gave them life.

12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

This is what my Dad wants all of you to know. He is at peace he is not suffering he is in the presence of loved ones. His spirit is alive. His body is here, his spirit is not. Because of the power of the atonement of our savior Jesus Christ we can all someday be with our loved ones again. Through the resurrection we will all be restored to our perfect state.

I want to express my love to you. I want to leave my testimony with you.

In the sacred name of Jesus Christ Amen.