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| Eric, Jane and Leroy, playing cribbage. |
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| Ben, Nathan and Hope |
Pictures are from last Christmas, Oh how things can change...
Homage to Leroy and Hope given at their funeral, December 11.
LeRoy, Spitz. Connie,
Corinne, Hope. Their
names which interchange regularly ring generosity. They have always been the great providers, even
to a fault. I am a recipient of their
generosity, more years of their generosity than almost anyone here
I grew up in Hope’s
place. I was the seventh child born to
our mom and dad in March, 1947. We lived
on a farm near Hay, Washington. Those of
you that do not know where Hay is, it lies halfway between Riperia and
Dusty. That June, at age 16, Hope
graduated from Hay High School. She ranked
in the top 3 of her class. There were
only 3 in her class. In September, Hope went off to PLC. She came home and mothered me at each break,
and in the years that ensued she brought home LeRoy from PLC. Later she brought home LeRoy and Randy, Marie
and Kurt. In several of those years,
LeRoy came to the farm to supplement his meager teacher pay to work the summer
harvest while Randy, Marie and Kurt, and Hope stayed on the “coast” and
Hope went to summer school.
The summer
of 1959 was one of those years. Leroy
had brought over Randy, Marie, and Kurt to the farm and while Leroy drove truck
in the wheat fields, Dad, Mom and I took care of me age 12, Randy age 7, my
brother Dwight age 5, Marie age 4, and Kurt age 2. Hope, who had been attending summer school, arrived
on August 1 and just two days later our dad died.
Why I tell
this story here is that it speaks to the Spitzers’ insight and generosity. While they lived 300 miles away from me most
of the year, they showed a keen interest in our lives and work. I remember how Spitz and Hope would sit down
with me, as a teenager, to discuss my aspirations and dreams. In many summers Hope and Spitz brought a
bunch of books for me to read. In those
days, during harvest, one would sit in the truck for 20 to 40 minutes waiting
for the combine to dump its wheat into your truck. It would take at least 3 “dumps” to fill the
truck so you had a lot of down time sitting out in the vast wheat fields of
eastern Washington. We read books to
fill the time.
When school
started for my senior year of high school, we had a new English teacher, Mrs.
Moser. In one of the first days of class
she asked us to fill out a questionnaire as to our reading experiences; books
recently read. A few days later Mrs.
Moser called me up to her desk after class.
She inquired as to my list: Of
Mice and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, Animal Farm, Lord of the
Flies, among other now classics. She was
very interested in to how it came about that I chose to read these books. “My sister and brother in law,” I
answered. “They encourage me to read
them.” Mrs. Moser was one of the finest
teachers I had. Her interest in fine
literature and in writing is still with me today. She wrote in my annual at the end of the
year, “May your ambition be enthusiastic but less vaulting than Macbeth.”
Often at
memorial services one speaks to the accomplishments of the deceased – what one
had achieved or “gotten out” of one’s life.
LeRoy and Corinne had many achievements and accolades but I think it is
more fitting here to speak to what they achieved by what they have “put into” the lives of many. They touched hundreds of lives.
In the
musical Godspell, Jesus sings a song God Save the People. Jesus is concerned that the people are
consumed with anger, worry, fear, loathing and are only pursuing self
interest. Jesus sings to God, “Flowers
of thy heart, oh Lord are they. Let them
not pass like weeds away. Their heritage,
a sunless day. God save the
people.” Hope and Spitz are
flowers. They are a sunny day. Their heritage blooms and shines all around
us, throughout their community, the churches and schools they served, their life work, their University, and especially their
family.
