Howard Kerfoot - 3/16/24

We gather today to mourn the death of Howard Kerfoot, but also to celebrate his life. In the Bible, we read these words,

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; (2 Corinthians 4:7-9, ESV)

Today, as we remember Howard’s life, we seek the Lord’s help and comfort, so will you pray with me to that end?

Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for the blessing of Howard Kerfoot’s life. We thank you for the impact he made on so many. Today, as we remember him, we ask for your strength and comfort as we grieve. Comfort these gathered today with fond memories of Howard, but also with the hope that is ours through Jesus. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Howard Thomas Kerfoot, passed away at 5:03 p.m. Saturday, February 17, 2024 at the Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Illinois at the age of 83.

Howard was born March 27, 1940 in Keokuk, Iowa, the son of Clarence Franklin and Anna Jane (Ahlers) Kerfoot. On March 27, 1982 he married Virginia Breiner-Coulter in Kahoka, Missouri. She preceded him in death October 26, 2018.

Mr. Kerfoot was raised in the Dallas City and Carthage areas and attended Carthage High School. Following high school he enrolled in General Motors Training Center and worked as an auto mechanic at several different businesses in Carthage. After his marriage to Virginia he moved to the LaHarpe area, where he worked numerous years for the LaHarpe Telephone Company. In retirement, he stayed active hauling grain for many local farmers.

Howard enjoyed fishing, watching NASCAR, traveling by motorcycle and racing at the former Devil’s Bowl Speedway, near Ft. Green, Illinois and the Macomb Speedway, Macomb, Illinois. He especially enjoyed his dogs, Katy and Barney and staying involved in his grandchildren’s lives.

Survivors include five children: Roger (Jennifer) Kerfoot of Hamilton, Illinois, Sheri Coulter of LaHarpe, Rodney (Erin) Kerfoot of Glasford, Illlinois, Teresa (Michael) VanFleet of LaHarpe and Cassandra (Brandon) Bundy of LaHarpe; seven grandchildren: Jessica (Seth) Fowler, Courtney (Jacey) Ellefritz, Ashley Flynn, Calvin Kerfoot, AJ Kerfoot, Jackson VanFleet and Shea Bundy and five great-grandchildren: Jensen, Bryleigh, Paizlee and Adaleigh Ellefritz and Haddix Flynn.

Besides his wife, he was preceded in death by his parents; one brother: Brad Kerfoot and two sisters: Mary Worrell and Llwellyn Kerfoot.

I have enjoyed the stories I’ve gotten to hear of Howard Kerfoot’s life over the last couple weeks. As I’ve heard numerous stories, I’ve noticed some consistent themes.

One was that Howard loved his family dearly. He loved doing things with his kids, and as the grandkids came along, he relished any chance he got to do things with them. He loved taking them to catch frogs and turtles for the competitions at Summerfest each year. Especially with the grandkids and great-grandkids, Howard looked forward to being able to take them on adventures, whether it was to go see animals, watch the combines, watch planes, or just build nests with them in the hay in the barn. He loved getting to go to their sporting events and cheer them on. At Summerfest, he was the grandpa who would climb all the steps to take the kids down the big slide.

The kids all knew that Howard would do anything for them, whether that was helping them move back home from out of state, coming to the rescue when their cars broke down, rescuing them from birds, or some simple favor, they knew that he’d do whatever he could for them. Cassie recalled a time when she was in high school and knew there were some fresh morels sitting in the fridge at home. Knowing that her dad’s lunchtime coincided with hers, she asked if he could bring her some. Just a few minutes later, she had some freshly fried morels hand-delivered to the school.

I also learned that Howard loved cars, and that he was able to fix just about anything. Howard loved to race cars and for many years would race twice a week, running at the Macomb Speedway on Wednesday nights and the Devil’s Bowl on Saturdays. Some of the kids’ favorite memories were of watching their dad race. I’m told Howard was actually a pretty good driver! He was a big fan of Ford vehicles, and could fix just about anything that was wrong with one—though he lamented the newer vehicles that were all controlled by computers, meaning you couldn’t just fix them with a wrench.

Cassie remembers that her dad was not real excited that her first car was a Chevy, but he still was willing to work on it and get it fixed up whenever something broke on it. I’m not sure whether the issues he had with her car breaking down had more to do with the car or the driver though…

Cassie remembered the way her dad taught her to drive a manual transmission. After struggling to teach her sitting with her in the passenger seat (I think the Kerfoot stubbornness might have caused some tension), he sent her out on her own and said that if he didn’t see her in a little bit, he’d come find her and rescue her. After a little time behind the wheel (and a fair bit of clutch damage), she had it down though, and never needed another lesson.

He had an old Ford short-body pickup that he had fixed up and loved to drive. He tended to keep the secret that he’d pulled the motor out of it and put a Chevy motor in. He enjoyed fixing up the ’57 Chevy that had sat in their yard for many years, though he regretted letting Virginia take it out for a test drive, because she wasn’t ¼ mile down the road before she had blown the engine. In typical Howard fashion, he dragged it back home and fixed it up again.

Roger remembered one time after Howard had been working on the racecar, they convinced him to do a burnout in front of the house. It didn’t take a lot of prodding till he agreed. The car held up great and didn’t disappoint with a beautiful burnout. Unfortunately, once it started moving forward, Howard realized he hadn’t bolted down the seat. Everyone remembers the scene of him desperately trying to get back up to the steering wheel and pedals to get the car back under control.

I learned that Howard loved fishing…and this could often be an adventure. Roger relayed a story from when he and Rodney were kids and one of them managed to hook Howard’s hat and cast it into the middle of the lake. The hat had some significance to Howard, so he wanted to get it back. They tied several hooks to the end of a line and cast out toward the hat, hoping to reel it in. In pretty short order, the hat had been saved and was left on the truck for the rest of the day for safety.

In later years, Howard somehow managed to hook his son-in-law Brandon’s ear when he cast. To this day, Brandon has a bump to remember that incident. Nobody is quite sure how it happened, but one time Howard and Ike went fishing in a canoe, and ended up returning home drenched. While there were plenty of eventful stories of fishing with Howard, he truly enjoyed just getting to share that time with the people he loved.

You didn’t have to wonder where Howard stood politically. All you had to do was take a look at his golf cart, and you could put the pieces together pretty quickly.

Probably the most common theme was how he was exceedingly kind and caring, but wasn’t afraid to give you a hard time. From what I’ve been able to gather, there are lots of stories from Howard’s time at the phone company, though I’ve also gathered that there are lot of those stories no one was real eager to share with the pastor. The ones I heard however, gave a picture of the kind of guy Howard was.

Howard was a hard worker and was good at just about everything. Mark said he was patient with him the summers that he worked alongside him, though when Darryl began working with him, he did remark how much more work he got done with Darryl than he ever did with Mark. Darryl and Howard worked together for more than 30 years.

Darryl shared that Howard liked to pull pranks on his co-workers. One day, after he knew Darryl had replaced the water pump in his car, Howard poured a bunch of antifreeze under it and then drew Darryl’s attention to it. After a fair bit of troubleshooting, Darryl realized that Howard was messing with him.

Howard can also be credited with helping Darryl find a wife, since Howard was the one who set them up. If I understand correctly, one day Howard mentioned he had someone Darryl should meet, and the rest is history.

Mark Irish remembers how kind and gentle Howard was with his grandparents as they got older. He remembered Howard often helping Ralph to tie his shoes. He also vividly remembered the day that Ralph leaned over to see what Howard was doing and ended up drooling right down Howard’s neck. Mark said Howard never said a word, but just continued to help Ralph get ready.

All of these things give a picture of a man who was full of life and love. When someone like that dies, it understandably leaves a gaping hole in the lives of those who are left behind. My hope is that in the times when you feel Howard’s absence particularly sharply, you will also rehearse some of the stories of his life. Remember the things he did, but also the way he made you feel. Doing this will help to temper the grief of loss with the joy of celebrating the time you had together.

Any time we lose someone we love, I am reminded of the fact that the questions of faith, of whether this life is all there is or not cease to be theoretical questions and become immensely practical ones. As we stand at the grave of someone we love, we are reminded that life is short, and each one of us will one day face death as well. I would encourage you today to take stock of eternal things. Seek out the truth of the Bible about what happens when we die. Listen to what Jesus said to His disciples when they prepared for Jesus’ imminent death.

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”… 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14:1-4,6, NLT)

Jesus reminds us that the end of life on this earth is not the end of the story. He promises that if we seek Him, then we can live even though we die. But He also reminds us that there is only one way to this eternal life, and it is through Jesus. I would encourage you today to seek Him, because none of us know how much time we have left.

We would do well to learn from the life of Howard Kerfoot. His example of love, care, and making time for the ones he loved are good ones to follow. In the days ahead, I hope you’ll find comfort in the life he lived and direction from the example he set.

Will you pray with me?

Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for Howard’s life. Thank you for the impact he made on others. I pray today for these family and friends, that you would grant them strength and comfort as they grieve. May you grant them hope in the knowledge that this life is not all there is, and that through Jesus, we can live even though we die. Surround them with your strength and love, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.