A Tribute to Dad

The following eulogy was shared by Kevin at his dad's funeral on Thursday, October 23:

Dad, William "Bill" Lester Sheckler, was born to Lester and Ileath Sheckler on June 4, 1930. He was the oldest of two children. His brother, Jerry, was 4 years younger, but they were very close. As a child he lived on Nash Street, Gardner St., and Martindale St. here in town, and he also lived near Camp Lake. His favorite neighborhood was on Martindale. In that neighborhood he had friends in every direction. He and his friends played basketball, football, flew kites, went swimming and in the winter they went sledding and skiing down Symonds Hill. He and his friends also played a game called Deer, which was a corncob with a chicken feather stuck in it. Dad said that if you were the deer, watch out for a corncob coming at you! For Dad, as a child, home was a place where he could always feel wanted.

           

As a boy, Dad would wear nickers and long socks, with high tops that had a jack knife pouch on one side. In the summers he ran around without shoes. As Dad grew up his best friend was Ken Deyoung. They used to skip school together, hitch hike to Holland, and see Ken’s sisters. Dad attended Sparta High School, where his favorite teacher was Mr. VanHousen, the shop teacher and football coach. Dad’s favorite subjects in school were Art and Shop. Along with Ken Deyoung, his other friends included Charles Switzer, Lewis Salisbury and Farmer Lang. The popular hang out place was Bick’s Restaurant, the ice cream shop. As for music, Dad enjoyed listening to Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra in those days. Dad’s first car was a 1947 Chevrolet. However, he and his mom were hit by a train in it. Both of them survived just fine. Dad’s first job was at the Ben Franklin Store, tagging merchandise, sweeping and cleaning up. 

At age 20, Dad found the love of his life. Dad got married to Shirley Jane Kik on March 24, 1951. The first impression that he had of mom was that she was a beautiful woman. They would go on to be married for just over 52 years, with Mom passing in 2003. He said mom was his best friend, and that the greatest gift was being married to her and having 7 children.

Anyone who spent any amount of time with Bill Sheckler quickly realized that he was as down to earth, and humble, as a person could find. Dad not only didn’t like to put on airs, I don’t think he knew how to. What a great trait! So, there was no pretense with Dad. In fact, I heard from a friend of mine who said that when he would see my Dad, my friend would say, “How are you, Mr. Sheckler?” And Dad would respond, “I’m Bill...how are you?”

That is not to say that Dad did not earn a lot of respect. He did. Through the qualities of hard work and discipline Dad achieved a lot. For example, Dad is one of Sparta’s own best athletes. He was officially recognized some years ago for his great accomplishments on the football field, baseball field, basketball court, and even on the track here at Sparta.  Yet, baseball was Dad’s favorite sport. Dad was a great left-handed pitcher. In high school, Dad threw his first no hitter. After graduating high school in 1948, Dad signed with the New York Yankees minor league team. He went to Plattsburgh, NY, that summer for training. He signed a contract for $250 a month...However, he never ended up playing for the Yankees because the league folded in the winter. Dad then signed with the Pittsburg Pirates, since they had first rights to him. He played in Fargo, ND, then on to Wasauw, WI. During his pro-ball days, Dad threw a no hitter.  However, his most thrilling pitching performance was a disappointing 1-to-nothing defeat the first game of the year in 1949. His pitching opponent that day was Bob Turley, who went on to be a Cy Young Award winner and Champion with the New York Yankees.

Dad not only earned respect as an athlete, he was also a Marine. (Ooh rah!).  A couple of Dad’s accomplishments as a jarhead are worth noting. During boot camp he didn’t just shoot expert on the rifle range, no, he shot a remarkable score of 240 out of a possible 250 points. That really is impressive! Dad went from there to fight in the Korean War, and though he had varying roles, he was given a commendation metal for his courageous action during an intense two-day mission. Let me read the comments from the award letter he received:  

The Commanding General, 1^st Marine Division (Reinf) takes pleasure in commending

Corporal William L. Sheckler

United States Marine Corps

For service as set forth in the following

Citation:

“For heroic service in the line of his profession while serving with a Marine infantry battalion during operations against the enemy in Korea on 24-25 July 1953. Serving as a driver, Corporal Sheckler displayed outstanding ability and professional skill. During an intense attack by a far numerically superior enemy force all communications between the battalion command post and a mortar position were severed. Although the route of communication to the main line of resistance was subjected to constant interdictory mortar and artillery fire, he made innumerable trips between the battalion command post and the mortar position. With complete disregard for his personal safety, he carried orders which allowed the battalion commander to direct and shift mortar fire to effectively support the rifle companies on the main line of resistance. His fearless and efficient maneuverings through the intense mortar and artillery fire that often rendered the route seemingly impassable, were instrumental in the continual operation of the mortars. Corporal Sheckler’s excellent conduct throughout served as an inspiration to all who observed him and was in keeping with the highest tradition of the United States Naval Service.”

Commendation Metal Pendant with Combat “V” Authorized.

R. McC Pate

Major General, U.S. Marine Corps

Commanding

Dad’s hard work and discipline also earned him a great deal of respect in his occupation. Dad was an electrician. He worked for Consumer’s Power Company for well over 30 years. Of course, Dad gained a lot of respect from us, his family, for his dedication and bravery in his job. Whenever ice storms or thunderstorms came into our area, while most of us would hunker down behind closed doors, Dad headed into the storms. He would often get asked to come in to work during those stormy times, to his children’s consternation. Dad very rarely turned down those opportunities because he wanted to provide for his family. However, of all the times that Dad went to work in those storms, he never complained.

Dad’s hard work would continue on later as he went to work for Kent City Ford and The Rogue Golf Course. At the golf course Dad would get up before the birds and head out there to mow the grass. He did that faithfully for many years.   

Another one of Dad’s great traits was his servant heartedness. Dad cared for others by serving them. This was true about his service in the Marines, as an electrician, in his service as a member of the local Lions Club, and in many other ways. Dad cared for his community, even serving on the Sparta village council for a number of years.

His care for others through service really hit home with me one day as I was reflecting back on an occasion when Dad was picking me up from going to the military processing station in Detroit. It was one of those silent but emotional father-son moments. At one point, Dad began to open up and tell me that he always sought to put food on the table for us and to provide the things that we needed. I was not really sure what he was getting at, so I probably said something like “Yeah, Dad, thanks.” But it wasn’t until years later that I realized that in a rare vulnerable moment, Dad was really saying to me “I love you.” Along with, “I love my family”. The way Dad demonstrated his love was by serving us and providing for us. Dad’s love language was service, and that was often how he operated to show his love to others.  

One other quality that I think all of us kids received from Dad was that he loved mom and thought very highly of her. Dad would often say to me, “Your mom, she was a good one, Kev!” I know that he missed her every day. And we are so glad that now, he and mom are together again.

Dad had a lot of skills. I mentioned his being an athlete and electrician, but Dad was also a fantastic gardener. His tomatoes, cucumbers and beans were always the best. He also was a great canner. His canned pickles peaches and tomatoes were all delicious. Dad also made homemade potato soup, noodles, dumplings and an egg salad that will be greatly missed.

Dad was also a woodworker and craftsman of sorts. He pretty much remodeled every inch of the house there on East Gardner, and he also built the garage. He did a number of things with his table saw and other tools. One of Dad’s finest projects was the butterflies that he made. They are things of beauty. He spent countless hours making those butterflies through the years. His attention to detail, in sanding them alone, was just amazing.

Dad was also very creative with his words, which displayed his wit. Here are a few examples:

• If something was hot, he’d say, “That’s hotter than a little red wagon!”
• If something was cold, he’d say, “That’s cold as a stone.”
• If it was really cold outside, his words usually were, “It must be 40 below!”
• If you had a strong opinion about something, but he didn’t, then he’d say, “Well, if you say so...”
• If you were a child, and you were starting to get out of control he’d say firmly, “Simmer down!”
• If anyone ate mushrooms, he’d say: “Anybody who eats those sleeps in their underwear.”
• If it was bedtime, he’d either say, “It’s Beddie bye time in the Rockies”, or “It’s time to hit the sack.”
• If something didn’t meet his expectations, he’d say, “It’s not worth a hill of beans.”

So, that’s just a little taste of his creative jargon.

But Dad also had nicknames for many of us.  Some of his handles included Peter James, which he affectionately called our mom, Jim was Jimmer James, Glen was Sammy, Bruce was Rooster, Tom was Tommy Boy, Paul was Wookah, I was Kevi Koverson, Kerri was Boone, and his brother, Jerry, was Snag. His granddaughter, Christina, was Weanie Beanie and his grandson, Aaron, was Whobe (as in, who be you?).

He loved his grandkids a great deal, but he would also mess around with him. He would often say to a granddaughter, “Are you a boy?” or “You’re a funny looking boy.” or “Is your name Matilda?” His grandsons didn’t have it any easier, they would get: “Is your name Claude Pepperbox?”

Dad had many interests through the years:

• Fishing and camping were high on the list. He said his favorite place to visit was “north”. But I think it’s fair to say that Two-Hearted River in the UP was a favorite destination.  He started going there with his Dad around 1960. 
• Dad also spent a lot of time watching his children and grandchildren play ball or whatever activity that we were involved in.
• Dad enjoyed passing the time by building fires in his garage, putting jigsaw puzzles together, watching the Tigers, and college basketball, reading Louis L’Amour and a variety of other books. Dad, of course, loved nature. In fact, Dad said that he felt the presence of God when “Just looking about.”
• Of course, Dad always looked forward to having coffee with the boys. Lately that was at Maxine’s in town.
• Speaking of which, both mom and dad had a lot of friends here in Sparta and around the area, and we children certainly were, and are, richly blessed to have gotten to know so many of them through our parents.

Well, what an honor it has been to share with you some things about Dad today. I will miss him dearly. I am so grateful for his love and support for me personally throughout the years. We will all miss him for the same reasons. He was indeed a good man.

I want to close with something about him that means a great deal to many of us, and that has to do with his faith. I recall one time giving him a book called Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper. After he read the book, he told me he really liked chapter 10. The focus of that chapter is God’s mercy. I want to share some excerpts from that chapter, which I believe well depicts the object of Dad's faith.

Piper writes:

• God is the wealthiest person in the universe. He not only owns more than anyone else. He owns everyone else and everything everyone else owns. When you create something, it belongs to you. And God created everything-including us.
• But, strikingly, the New Testament describes the wealth of God not mainly in terms of what he created and owns, but mainly in terms of the glory he has from all eternity.  
• God did not create to get wealth; he created to display wealth-the wealth of his glory for the enjoyment of his people...
• But even more specifically, the focus of the New Testament is that the wealth of God's glory is, at its apex, the wealth of his mercy.  
• The universe exists primarily to display the wealth of the glory of the mercy of God for the enjoyment of his redeemed people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
•  Justice is essential among the perfections of God's glory. But mercy is paramount.   
• For this reason Jesus Christ came into the world. Jesus is the mercy of God incarnate and visible. He is also the justice of God incarnate; but justice was subordinate: "God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:17).  
• This mercy that Jesus embodies and brings is utterly free. Not that there was no cost. Jesus paid the price at the cost of his own life.
• We do not earn mercy. We receive it as a free gift by faith, not by works. "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy" (Titus 3:5).
• All the Father's mercies belong to those who come to God through faith in Jesus. Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need".

Dad confidently trusted in the grace and mercy of God. And, right now, Dad is basking in the glorious reality of the mercy of God. But, if Dad was able to speak to us today, I am quite certain that he would urge each of us to acknowledge our need for a savior and to put our faith in the one and only merciful Savior, Jesus Christ.