Today the world lost an ordinary man. He was not, at least on paper, a VIP or someone that would be noticed in the street. He didn't have wealth or fame or power, nothing that the world would look at and say, "He was Something." There was no retinue to follow him and cater to his every whim. Nor would he have wanted that. On the contrary, he joyfully and graciously served others, right up until the last few days of his life.
He was not a fancy kind of guy. He grew up on a farm during the depression, and he learned early that life could be difficult, even for good people. He loved his parents, his five brothers and sisters, his cousins, and his friends, and spent his childhood having fun and working hard in equal measure.
Eventually, he graduated from high school and went to war. Then he came home, married well, and had three children (and eventually four grandchildren) whom he loved more than anything. He worked hard and built a good life with the love of his life, my Aunt Shirley, enjoying his family and friends, uplifting and supporting them in everything they did for all the 90 years of his life. He was the man everyone expected him to be, all the time, and he did it all with genuine joy and gratitude for all his blessings.
Fritz was a go to guy, the one you could count on, and he always came through. Usually even better than you imagined, because he was a creative man with a great mind for details. Many people have a memento he made just for them, and I am sure we will all cherish what he wrought with his mind and gifted hands.
In short, he did what was expected of him, he loved his family, and he worked hard at being the best person he could be. But most of all, the single quality that defined him best, was his strong and enduring faith in God, which he shared with everyone he met. He was proud to be a Christian man who followed the Savior where he was led, and he did it with grace and love and charity and honor. From his family and friends to his prison ministry, Fritz gave a human face to God's enduring love.
My uncle was an inspiration to me, and to so many others whose lives he touched, precisely because he was an ordinary man. He expected no fanfare, no drama, no special recognition. He simply got on with his life in the best way he knew how, every minute of every day, loving his family, serving the world, and waiting for the moment he would be reunited with his God.
I could talk about accomplishments - he had many - but none of them would mean as much to me as a moment frozen in my memory forever. At the instant I needed it most, on what was probably the most difficult day of my life, Fritz was there for me, and he did exactly what I needed him to do. He hugged me and told me he loved me, holding on to me until I was ready to let go of him and face the world again.
It was a simple, ordinary act of love for his niece who was deeply hurting at that moment, one which he did without even thinking about it, I am sure. But it meant everything to me.
An ordinary man doing what he needs to do can change the world, because simple actions change the hearts of those who are touched. That is what my uncle did. He changed the world by touching people's hearts, one life at a time, wherever he went.
An ordinary man. Simple. Humble. Faithful. Loved.
Forever in my heart. Forever in God's arms. Well done, good and faithful servant. Welcome home.
