Jarrot Lindsey Eulogy

Eulogy

Seems like it was just yesterday when I wrote a letter to Uncle Jarrot on his ninetieth Birthday. All three of the Lindsey sibs are gone. I thought they would live forever, we all think that as children. The older we get the more we think about mortality especially our own. Sherry and I were at PCB when we heard Jarrot was back in the hospital. I don’t know if that news had anything to do with my thinking, but as we watched the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico that first night, I though how the world is a reflection of God’s story of redemption, that is death and resurrection.

The sun died every-night is the most glorious form of death imaginable. I hope I go out like that! Full of audacious color and awe. But the next morning the sun rises to do it all again. Same thing with the seasons. the bleak of winter turns into the new life of spring. it is not accident that Jesus was resurrected as the earth was springing to new life.

It was in this frame of mind that I received the text telling me Jarrot had died. And my childish understanding of life and death, died.

As Jesus said to the Greeks: :

“Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over”

Those wonderful, magical, Christmas Eve’s that my parent’s hosted. Lord, how I miss that. Jarrot on Mom’s Baldwin organ playing up a storm. Lucy and George. Doug and Lindsey and the other kids. My siblings and their husbands.

He said many times that it was his piano playing that got him in his fraternity at Emory. If there was a keyboard, there was a party.

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He was truly a renaissance man. There was nothing he couldn’t do. That is why I picked this scripture from Exodus. He was a modern day Bezalel. He could paint, draw, play music, write, restore antiques. he even remolded one of my parent’s houses when he lived with them. Like Bezalel the architect, carpenter, stone mason, weaver. All God given talents. But if you skip ahead to ; it says that Bezalel was “wise hearted.”

So was Jarrot wise hearted. Kind and gentile. (Tell copy center story)I spent a good amount of time in his office the 18 months or so I worked for him. I enjoyed the talks. A great father and grandfather, a great uncle for that matter. (read poem).

Jarrot was also well respected in the journalistic community in Atlanta. I n his memories he wrote that I graduated with a marketing degree. Actually I graduated with a communications degree but I started out as a journalism major. Thats how I found out how well respected he was, from friends like Furman Bisher to Harold Davis who was for years the Cox Bureau Chief in DC before he became the head of the journalism Dept. at Ga State, (Story)

Jarrot was part of the Greatest generation as well. Serving in the Army in Nuremberg Germany. Yes he was there for the trials. i read a number of letters Jarrot wrote to Nana and Granddaddy that Grandaddy had saved from this time. I hope somone still has them. it was obvious that he disliked the German leaders and the people somewhat. His obit said he was head of the chat drafting department. Not sure what that was, tried to find out. All i know is he told me he saw a lot of the evidence pictures and films. i asked him one time why, since he was a journalist, he did not write a book about it. He said, “Robert TELL STORY. I told Doug Smith this story and Doug told me that he told him he just did not want to remember it. I have a feeling both stories are true.

Jarrot and Lee lived down the street form us on Valle View Road in Dunwoody. from the time I was 9 until we moved when i was in the eighth grade. I always knew I had a safe place to go there on Valley View Road. Having them right down the street provided a sense of security for me. Although it wasn’t always safe. There was the one time that Margie came by on her bicycle and we decided to go down to her house. I was running as hard as I could down that big Valley View Hill and she was on her bike behind me peddling as hard as she could. The toes of my flip flops caught and I face-planted as she peddled, wide open, right up my rear end then my back and quickly reached my head. The fun ended right there.

One frosty morning Mom was taking me to Dunwoody Elementary. From the top of the hill we saw Jarrot back out in the white Studebaker (Lark? I think may have been Grandaddy’s at one time?) As he backed out and drove up the hill we witnessed:

1. The car’s defroster wasn’t working or wasn't working fast enough, because the windshield was covered with frost. So, he had the driver’s window rolled down with his head sticking out to see. He nodded as he went by.

2. As he went by we saw a coffee mug on the roof . . .

3. Along with a briefcase

Mom and I wildly waved at Jarrot trying to get him to stop. But the harder we waved the harder and faster he nodded his head. Jarrot must have thought we were really happy to see him! I have always wanted to ask him: Did that briefcase and cup of coffee make it all the way

I have to tell you as I typed this eulogy depending on how I was fat fingered auto correct wanted to name Jarrot’s name either to carrot. This is ironic for 2 reasons first, Craig, Margie's husband called him Jarrot the carrot, because he would tell people his name was like carrot with a J. that just many of the nicknames he was hung with.

I know that he would have been disappointed with the Falcons and the Braves both this weekend. But he was a tremendously loyal fan of both.

Stephen Covey once said that the greatest thing a human being can leave is a legacy and Jarrot has done just that. From working with Margie in the antique business. From Carole making a living with words and graphics like he did. The painting he created and the antiques he restored in our homes. in our homes.

Creation. I am going to end here, there is so much more I could say. However, if we are truly created in the image of God (which I believe) and God is a creator, all of us have the ability to create. Jarrot was unbelievably gifted by God in this respect. Bezalel was unbelievable gifted by God as well. The writer of Exodus sad that he was “filled with the Spirit of God with skill, ability, and know how for creating all sorts of things.” Bezalel is called a craftsman. In Mark Jesus is called the same thing in Greek. Carpenters as it is usually translated really could be translated as craftsman.

What i am leading up to is that God, being a creator God, called everything he created God and very good. God is a creator not a destroyer and that is why we see resurrection in nature. World without end. Jesus even tell sus that nothing will be lost:

 “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day” Did you here that, we haven’t lost Jarrot. He is in pur memories yes. But he lives, we have the promise right here. Listen again to jesus

“Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over”

I have a vision of Jarrot with Nana and Grandaddy talking with them while they fish. Lucy and George are there too, and Pat, and Big George, and, well you get the picture. And someday you and me. As it says in the gloria patri as it is now and ever shall be world without end. As we will pray here shortly may your kingdom come. For Jarrot it has, and the promise of Jesus is that we will too.