Albert "Bud" Peyron
We gather this afternoon to mourn the loss and remember and thank God for the life of Albert P. Peyron.
As we do so, we are reminded of our need for the Lord. The Bible says,
1For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down—when we die and leave these bodies—we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies. 4Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and have no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life. 5God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
6So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7That is why we live by believing and not by seeing. 8Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.
This is our confidence and our hope today. Will you pray with me,
Father, we bow before you this afternoon and confess the ache of our hearts. We find that we are numb from how quickly life has changed and how deep a hole remains.
Father we ask you for your comfort and for your help. Draw close to us that we might draw on your strength. Remind us of your promises and help us to cling to them at this time. Help us also to remember and celebrate Bud’s life. For we ask this in the name of Christ, our Lord. Amen
Albert P. “Bud” Peyron was born April 4, 1928 in La Harpe, IL. The son of Paul and Marie Blythe Peyron.
Mr. Peyron was a graduate of La Harpe High School and served in the US Navy from 1947 to 1948. He was in the Flight Training School before he left the Navy because he wanted to get home to marry his bride.
He married Opal Blythe on April 14, 1950 in Nashua. On Saturday they would have been married 51 years.
He graduated from Monmouth College and received his Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Dallas, Texas. He moved to Texas in 1956 and worked as a district salesman for Texas Instruments for 25 years.
After taking early retirement from Texas Instruments Bud enjoyed worked at several different jobs. For better than the last ten years of his life he worked as a Ground School Instructor for American Flyers in Addison, Texas.
Bud was a member of the Spring Valley United Methodist Church in Dallas and the La Harpe Masonic Lodge 195.
Mr Peyron is survived by his wife, Opal,
Two sons, Alan Peyron of Richardson TX.
And Dale Peyron of Garland, TX.
Three Daughters, Janet Peyron of McKinney TX.
Patty Day and Sara Owens both of Plano TX.
Five Grandchildren
One sister, Franciene Bouseman of La Harpe,
One brother, Victor Peyron of Plant City, FL
Albert Peyron was a man of varied interests. When he was younger he loved playing with cars and building model airplanes. He played the Clarinet and for a time was in a little band called the Cocklebur Trio. He was known as a young man who could entertain himself for hours. He soloed in an airplane when he was 16.
He was conscientious about the work he did. He always wanted to look his best. He even went so far as to eat his breakfast standing up so he wouldn’t wrinkle his pants or risk getting something spilled on his work clothes.
As a salesman he often left on Sunday so he could be at the clients office on Monday morning. Later, when he taught flight schools on weekends he stood the entire time he was teaching because that was the “professional thing” to do.
He was a man who was particular about his appearance. He was particular about his office, he was particular about his pool. He was also particular about the car he drove and for many years traded cars every two years.
He had a variety of hobbies. He enjoyed working with Stained Glass. He was an avid bird watcher. He had a bird house for the Martin’s at his house. He liked to think of it as a Martin “apartment complex”. He enjoyed watching these birds even up to the last day of his life. The only time it irritated him was when the Sparrow’s tried to make their home in the birdhouse.
Bud enjoyed classical msic. He was a Lawrence Welk fan. It was about six years ago that Opal surprised Bud when on their 45th anniversary they stopped in Branson Mo. to go to the Lawrence Welk theatre.
He enjoyed mushroom hunting, made a great hamburger on the grill, and enjoyed tracking the stock market and working to make wise investments.
Bud enjoyed traveling and saw lots of the world over the years. Just a few weeks ago he enjoyed traveling to Hawaii again with many members of the family. They had a great time.
Bud was a man who was knowledgeable about a wide range of things. He respected those around him and wanted his children to be respectful too. He was a good host and a wonderfully generous man.
Albert had a good sense of humor that was often very dry. He often had a sly smile that showed that he was “up to” something. And was recognized as the uncle who could “wiggle his ears”. Bud enjoyed life. He was a Cowboy’s fan and enjoyed keeping the family back home apprised of what the team was doing.
For years Bud gave Paula a hard time about a prize winning cake recipe for a Chocolate Cake called “Starlight Double Delight Cake.” When he found a recipe, he sent it to Paula to let her know there was such a cake. On his birthday, Paula made the cake (with the frosting in a container) and had it shipped Overnight Express so he could “assemble it” for his birthday. Bud was deeply touched and called the girls in La Harpe “angels”. When Paula’s birthday came around, Bud sent her a dozen roses. It was a kindness he never forgot.
Albert was a man who was always “in charge”. Even on the last day of his life he was proudly proclaiming that he was President and CEO.
He was always mentally sharp. When Opal tried to use psychology on him during this last week, Albert knew exactly what she was doing and kidded her about her attempts at positive reinforcement.
Bud was never good at expressing his love but you never doubted it was there. He would rather give you a hard time than get “mushy” on you. He loved his kids and took pride in the people they turned out to be. He felt his family was the greatest treasure that he had. When he started to feel poorly he made sure that his family knew that he loved them. He worried about them constantly.
He sensed that he was near the end of his life. He made several references to this fact. He said that God had told him it was time to say good-bye. He alluded to the popular management book “Who Moved the Cheese” when he said, he had moved his cheese. He reflected back on his life and said, he had lived a good long time. He quoted the Bible in saying, “There is a time to live and a time to die.” He faced death unafraid.
Bud may have been “ready” but it is tough for those who are left behind to let him go. They will miss his comments about the “Whole Flam-Damly”. They will miss him asking “Who wants Cheese?” on their burgers. They will miss him watching the Martins out the window. And most of all they will miss his strong presence and the sense of security that presence provided. Albert “Bud” Peyron lived well. And his greatest legacy is not what he did but how he lived.
As we stand before the grave of Bud Peyron there is a sense of finality that leaves a profound emptiness. This emptiness comes from the fact that this all seems so final.
This is why the words of Jesus are so comforting. Jesus said, 1“Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. 2There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. 3When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
These words of Jesus comfort us for several reasons. First, Jesus told us that there is life beyond the grave. He said we could “trust Him” on this fact. This Sunday is Easter Sunday and it reminds us that Jesus didn’t just talk about life after death . . . He demonstrated it.
The resurrection is one of the best attested historical events there is. The resurrection of Jesus proves: Christ was who He said He was. He was God who came to reach us and to die as payment for our sin; The Resurrection proves that there is life beyond the grave; and it proves that even though death is painful, for the believer, it need not be feared.
Second, this passage tells us that life beyond the grave is a wonderful life in the presence of Jesus. Jesus tells us that He will come and “get us” when everything is ready. Don’t you like that picture? Death is not the lonely journey we think it is. When we get to the door of eternity Jesus is there waiting for us. He tells us that we will be with Him forever.
Don’t you wonder if it was the Lord who whispered to Bud that it was almost time to go?
The third thing this passage tells us is to trust God. It is true that not everyone goes to Heaven. The Bible is clear that only those who trust Christ as their Savior will be granted grace and eternal life. But it seemed that Albert had this kind of faith.
It is our job to trust God now. We must trust Him for our own salvation. This is a good time to make that decision to place our faith in what Christ has done for us. This is a good time to stop trying to earn salvation and to receive the salvation offered in Christ.
It is time for us to trust God’s wisdom. We don’t know why Bud died now. We don’t know why things happened the way they did. But even though we do not understand the circumstances, we can and should trust the God who oversees the circumstances of life.
So today I encourage you to grieve freely. You have lost someone special. When you love someone it is only natural that you feel pain when they are gone. Pain and love are two sides of the same coin. It’s natural and proper to grieve.
But I also encourage you to trust. Use this time to address your own spiritual life. Talk to God. Draw comfort from the Scriptures and think often of the wonder and glory of heaven. As much as Bud enjoyed Hawaii, think about how much more he is enjoying the incomparable paradise of Heaven.
And while we wait for that day when our Lord will come for us, we would do well to live our lives with the same kind of spirit and strength that Albert “Bud” Peyron lived his.
Will you pray with me?
Our Father, it seems like Bud should be here. But we know that now He is with You. Help us to draw comfort from your promise. Spur us on with thoughts of Heaven. Comfort us by your Spirit as only you can.
Lord, I pray for this family. Help Opal as she makes the difficult adjustments of living life without her partner and her friend. Stand with these children and grandchildren and help their memories to remain vivid and precious.
And help us all to renew our faith. In this time when death and eternity is so real, help us to find a real faith. We ask these things in the wonderful and hopeful name of Jesus. Amen.