This was the Eulogy delivered by Dad for Mr. Lee. I hope it does Mr. Lee justice, but I thought it was very touching....
Dear brothers and sisters,
As we are here in remembrance of Mr. Lee, I'm sure you all know that he was a selfless man who was always willing to sacrifice his own time and efforts for the sake of others. Mr. Lee was constantly working behind the scenes for our church, setting up tables and chairs for church gatherings, picking up garbage that was dropped and placing it into garbage bins, cleaning up church pews and tying up the hymn books and Bibles after the service concluded. He was often last one to leave the church in order to lock up the windows and doors, and he was always providing car rides, and giving a helping hand to others in need. I would like to share, in addition, some of my own personal memories.
A few months ago, I was not feeling well and needed to go to the hospital emergency room. When he heard that I needed to go to the emergency room, he came without delay to my house knocked on the door to take me there, even before I was able to pack my things for my hospital stay. As I was laying in the hospital bed, I was feeling a bit better and I asked Mr. Lee to go home because it was already 1 o’clock in the morning. But he insisted on staying with me until a doctor came to see what my condition was. I kept asking hem to go home but he insisted to keep me company. Finally, I said to him jokingly, that if he were not to leave, I would then ask the police outside to take him home. Only when he saw that I had the strength to even crack jokes with him, did he feel that he could go home. By his actions, you can tell, that Mr. Lee is selfless and caring, and constantly willing to sacrifice himself for others.
We hiked often together, Mr. Lee and I. I distinctly remember one time while we were hiking, he described to me his experiences with Canadian life and the immigration process. He mentioned the hardships and trials that he had to go through to adapt to living in Canada. He could have had an easier, more relaxing life in Taiwan if he had wanted to, but typical of himself, he wanted to ensure that his family members were able to choose their living environment in the future, even if it meant that he had to leave his comfortable life in Taiwan to settle in Canada and go through cold, harsh Canadian winters. Even if he had to entirely reorient and readjust to a different life and living conditions here. I think we can all see that Mr. Lee was a great family man, who loved his children, and was willing to give them endless opportunities, even if it meant leaving the life he knew in Taiwan.
One last point I will mention is that Mr. Lee one of the most generous people I have ever known. To himself he is stingy, but he is so willing to give to others. His monitory donations to the church are always significantly above what one would expect. He always wanted to offer more, stretching his available resources as much as he could, to support the church. Last year during a prayer meeting for the initiative of our church building fund, tears were coming out of his eyes because he wanted to offer more but couldn't. I remember once, I suggested to him that he could trade in his van for a normal sedan, but he said he needed to keep the van in case it was needed for church activities. Mr. Lee would forego the luxuries and pleasures in life that many like to enjoy, just so he contribute and help others. He was truly a great man, and these memories of him will remain with me forever.
On April 16, about 2:30 a.m. Michael called me and said that the heart beat of his father was getting weaker, so I rushed to the hospital right away. By the time I arrived, Mr. Lee was gone. I saw him lying peacefully in bed , all the struggles, all the worries, and all the pain he had suffered were suddenly gone, and the tears from his eyes had dried away. I knew he was in God's glory. Early that morning, I opened my computer and saw an e-mail from Cecil Chen, informing people that Mr. Lee had passed away. The e-mail subject he used is “A good man”. When I opened the e-mail, I looked at the subject and paused for a few seconds. Mr. Lee is absolutely, definitely, and without a doubt the epitome of a “good man”. He is a good son to his surviving mother, a good husband to his wife, a good father to his sons and a good friend to all of us. Mr. Lee always felt that he could do more for Christ, and for others. Matthew 5:2 says, ”Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” I know then, that his is the kingdom of heaven under the comfort of our Lord Christ Jesus. I look forward to meeting him again, and where we can talk like the old times, and he can show me the most beautiful hike towards a glorious mountain top in the presence of God in heaven.
Some years ago, I read a book with the title of “In search of a Legacy”. A sentence in the book by the author really stuck with me. I cannot remember the exact wording of the sentence, but the meaning was that “a man’s legacy can be found by searching his footsteps”. Now that Mr. Lee is no longer in our midst physically, I look back and search for his footsteps. Indeed, I see his footprints side-by-side with those of Jesus, undertaking the task of “serving the Lord with wholeheartedly and loving his neighbours”. The legacy of Mr. Lee is clear. It is one of self-sacrifice and perseverence. It is one of determination, hope, and most of all, love. May he rest in peace in God's glory, for he has earned his rest. Goodbye Mr. Lee, we will all miss you, but we will look forward to our joyful reunion in heaven.
It's cold out, there's snow everywhere, what are you supposed to do?
