Memorial Service for Robert L. Ezelle, Jr. (Nov. 19, 1979)

Here's a candid family photo from April, 1962. This family cat with the extremely original name of "Kitty" loved to climb on Daddy's shoulders and hat when Daddy arrived home from work. Daddy was 49 when this photo was taken and Isabelle was 5.

Last Thursday I was at Mother's house and she was showing me where the old photography slides from Belgium are stored. I'd like to scan these slides some day, a notion that is probably a pipe dream with my current time commitments. There was a box near the slides with the label "Bob's Stuff". This caught my eye because there's little "stuff" about his life, especially when you consider all of the letters and paperwork that must have been created during his work on civil rights and numerous civic organizations. It's too bad that Daddy wasn't a pack rat when it came to items like that.

We opened the box and found at least one promising scrap book and I think there are some photos. Like the slides, this box will be investigated more thoroughly when there's more time. Mostly, it was a box of plaques and certificates thanking my dad for his service to Goodwill Industries, the Boy Scouts of America, the Chamber of Commerce, various national Bedding Associations, etc.

If these items were every on display in his office, you can be sure that it was a very modest display. It wouldn't surprise me if many of these awards never saw the light of day after being presented to him. I believe he was always a little embarrassed when people made a fuss about his good works, and therefore he did a lot of work behind the scenes. No one person, including Mother, ever knew just how much he was doing because he was involved is such a wide variety of things. Plus, I think he would hide it from Mother when he agreed to help with yet another civic project--he never seemed to be able to keep his promises to work on cutting back on the volunteering.

So the box got me thinking about something that was going to be a blog post. That caused me to search for a copy of Daddy's obituary, and while searching, I found a treasure that I didn't remember owning. For my father's funeral, we had the graveside service first and then we returned to the church for a memorial service. Our family wanted one of Daddy's contemporaries to speak during the service and his friend Dean Miller was the perfect choice. The treasure I found Sunday was a copy of what Dean said at the Memorial Service almost 30 years ago. Here are Dean's words which were greatly appreciated then as they are today:

Robert L. Ezelle, Jr. Memorial Service
Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church
November 19, 1979

Today we are celebrating a life, the life of Bob Ezelle. His family, his friends, this church and our community have all benefited from having known and loved Bob Ezelle.

On the Sundays to come, there will be an empty space in the balcony, but there will be a greater emptiness in our hearts. It is our prayer that this emptiness will be filled when we remember his life. Being involved was his lifestyle. Being involved with his family, his friends, this church and our community was his life.

Bob was an intense family man. As a husband, a son, a father and a brother, he brought a unique dimension to the family relationship that those of us outside the family admired. I know of no one more supportive of his family's activities, whether it was a church softball game, a college honors convocation, or the family's business. This involvement developed a heritage. His family will be drawing strength from this heritage for generations.

As a friend, he was an inspiration. He knew what his goals were, and he always kept pressing towards them. He was always there. He was always available. He was always lifting up when things were bogged down -- always positive, never negative.

As a layman in this church he was either elected, appointed or volunteered for every job where he was needed. Any future history of Galloway Church will affirm Bob Ezelle's stewardship.

He reached out to all the community where there was need for good. He had a rare sensitivity for the needy. He was involved in education at all levels from kindergarten through Millsaps College, his college that had meant much to him. I was amazed that he found time to do all that he did. When asked, he would simply say, "It needs to be done".

I do not believe Bob ever said "No" when called upon to help a cause for good. In reality, most of the time, he recognized the need before anyone else and organized people and things to get the job done.

Bob never tested the opinion of the crowd before deciding whether or not to take a stand. His decisions were based on his understanding of whether or not it was right as God gave him that light. The results of his taking a stand and his decisions are a testimony of his faith.

The ancient scripture records that before the people of Israel entered the Promised Land, Moses told them that they would be "drinking of wells that they did not dig, and harvesting food from fields that they had not planted". I firmly believe that Bob Ezelle's family, his friends, this church and our community will continue to drink from wells dug by him and harvest food from fields planted by him for as long as they shall live.

We thank God for letting us walk with Bob Ezelle.

--Written and delivered by Dean M. Miller--