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Fighter, Investor, Encourager

Remembering a good man

By Jessica FreebornPublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 4 min read
3
Bob and me

He was a Vietnam veteran. While no one in my immediate family is in the service, we have a knack for making friends with veterans. And Bob was no exception. He became a family friend almost right away.

After he officially retired from teaching, he started to teach public speaking classes to students, both in the public school and home school setting. That's how we met. He taught a group of homeschoolers public speaking, and I was in the group. Bob was a good teacher and a good friend.

Once, I was speaking with him up in Mount Morris and through some odd locking and unlocking and door slamming, I broke his car door. That was one thing he would never let me forget. Then there was the time he took his garage door opener instead of his wallet into Wal-Mart. So, it became a running joke: car door, garage door opener.

In February of this year, he died and went home to be with God. I know I'll see him again, but it's hard to process this loss. I feel like I haven't truly taken the time yet to grieve. I know that I'll miss him, and I know that I can be proud of the life he lived and the difference he made in the lives of others.

I could use many different words to describe him, but I've narrowed it down to my top three. Bob was a...

Fighter

Maybe it was enhanced by his time in the military, but Bob was a fighter, tenacious to his core. He didn't back down, and he didn't give in. When he set his mind to something, he was consistent, and he didn't let anything stop him. Made him crazy stubborn, but that's not always a bad thing.

A few years ago, he had to have his leg amputated. And while I know it must have been difficult for him, I knew that it wouldn't slow him down. I was right. He healed and kept doing what he'd always done. He believed in standing up for what was right, and he instilled his values in his students.

Frederick Douglass was one of his favorite historical figures, and he always loved this quote from Frederick Douglass:

Find out just what any people will quietly submit to, and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them.

Bob didn't believe in quiet submission to injustice. He believed in speaking the truth well.

Investor

Bob knew how to play the long game. He understood that building the next generation was something worth doing. He knew that it was a long and arduous process, but he never stopped investing.

One of his primary goals was to help people learn how to communicate. He saw oratory as an art that people could understand and recover from its state of obscurity. What he wanted to see was "good students speaking well."

He understood that building a better society is about more than just dealing with the here-and-now problems. It's about training up the future generations to be something better. Here was another one of his favorite Frederick Douglass quotes:

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

Bob dedicated his life to building strong children and people. I know he helped me and made my life richer and far better than it would have been without him.

Encourager

Bob believed in recognizing talent and hard work. He made a point of telling people that they did an excellent job after any sort of public speaking event. I think he might have exaggerated a bit when complimenting my talents. Nevertheless, I always found my time with him uplifting. I think many of this other students would say the same.

He taught his students how to critique encouragingly. He always had us start out with the positives. "What did you like about the speech?" he would ask. Even if the speaker wasn't good at the moment, he helped us look for the good in others and encourage them to do better.

Until we meet again

I look back on my time with Bob, grateful that he was a part of my life and for what he taught me. It's one of those endings that is somehow okay, partly because his life was well-lived. He finished strong.

I look forward to seeing Bob again. I'm not sure what my first words to him will be, maybe "thank you for how you invested and made a difference in my life." Or perhaps it will be "Do you remember that time with the garage door opener?"

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friendship
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About the Creator

Jessica Freeborn

Passionate writer that is enthusiastic about writing engaging, compelling content. Excels in breaking down complex concepts into simple terms and connecting with readers through sharing stories and personal experience.

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Nice work

Very well written. Keep up the good work!

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  1. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

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