This a real account of a man I know (not a fellow church member) who died (I did not preach the service) and was eulogized by his pastor as being a man of service and great moral character.
One person in attendance asked me following the service if they had attended the wrong funeral? For the man so many of us present knew was a far cry from the man described by the pastor.
The man most of us had known was a very domineering and dictatorial person who seemed to always go out of his way to created problems and bad relations with others, including his own family.
He was a man of great mechanical achievement but never learned the difference between making a living and making a life. He was the poster boy for OCB and perfectionism.
He distrusted everyone, especially those located near him. He would become very upset if a neighbor's tree leaves blew into his yard. Arguments with city officials were commonplace.
Toward the end of his life he had only one friend, his caregiver nurse. Here is the saddest of all situations. She thought he was the perfect man and he thought she was the perfect Christian. Her behavior was equally hypocritical and misleading.
He left behind a tangled financial nightmare. His caregiver is apparently the only person who has the "secret" code to unlock this mess.
His military honor guard funeral, complete with a 21 gun salute and taps, could not erase the wasted life he had lived.
I was very, very glad when the service was concluded. It will take me some time to work through my feelings about this man.
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