tribute to my friend, Larry Bentley

(Dear Reader: I'm inserting this tribute to my friend, Larry Bentley, who passed away this past Monday, November 9, at the age of 67. Be watching later for the devotional for today).

OUR DEAR LARRY
Larry and Leonard are mirrors of my older brother and me. They match us very closely in our ages; they have two younger sisters, we have three; we attended the same church when we were kids; and our folks were good friends with each other. I also had the privilege of knowing Larry and Len’s parents, Melva and Loren. I hung around the Bentley home enough when I was a kid to look forward to their Mom’s fantastic homemade sheet cakes that she made for any occasion any of us could think up. And I enjoyed going out with Len and Larry and their dad in their old International Carry-all van to deliver the LA Times on their huge paper route. Later on, in our dating years, I remember Larry chauffeuring Karen and me around once in awhile before I was old enough to drive. And as Larry and Sherry watched Karen and me fall in love, we watched them do the same. I remember in those years being invited over to Sherry’s parents’ home for dinner. That’s where I first tasted, or even heard of, enchiladas! The two sets of brothers were dating and got married all within a few years of one another. We’ve spread out geographically quite a bit since those years, but we’ve stayed close in our hearts. But there was that period of time when Larry was hired by Oregon Public Broadcasting and moved his family to Gresham, and started attending the church where I was pastor. That’s when Larry and I got a chance to get to hang around one another almost as much as Len and I did in the old days. And we got to know Larry and Sherry’s kids at this time, too. We grieved with them at the sudden death of their eldest son. A brain tumor showed up, did its worst, and sent Frank to heaven at the tender age of 27. And as if that weren’t enough for any parents to endure, we watched how they cared for their younger son, Ethan, who was born with a disease that prevented normal development: he could not walk or talk or do much of anything on his own. Doctors predicted he wouldn’t live past 11 years old. But those doctors had no concept of the power of parental love! With the care and affection Ethan received, he lived to age 27, going to heaven at the same age as his older brother. The Bentley parents lived long and good lives but they were the next to go. After that, tragedy stayed away from the Bentley door for awhile. But then, in late August of this year, Larry was diagnosed with cancer. As the poem expresses, Larry’s biggest concern, once he realized he was going to die, was all the unfinished projects on his plate, at home, at work, and down at the church. Who could get the jobs done, to his specifications and satisfaction? The answer is obvious: no one! If that was Larry’s biggest concern, his biggest anticipation, once he knew he was dying, was that he would be reunited with his two boys, now sooner than expected, as well as with his dear parents. I now have my regrets, that I didn’t stay better in touch with Larry and Sherry once we moved back to California. The last time I saw them was at Loren’s funeral in Gresham 3 years ago. I don’t know if I’ll be able to attend Larry’s service, so I’m saying my goodbyes to him now, in these writings. Knowing I will see him again, in glory, under much better circumstances, waiting for him to “hug my neck” at the entrance to heaven’s pearly gates, gives some good comfort to my sad heart right now. So Larry, farewell for now! I’ll see you, not here at my home, not there at yours, but up there, in the air, at God’s place, where He’s got a place for us, and we’ll get together again and eat your mom’s cakes and Karen’s mom’s pies. Then, we’ll “have our cake, and eat it, too!”…and it will truly be “pie in the sky by and by.”

Our dear Larry died today;
Friends and family cried today.
So brave was he in his leaving;
So sad are we in our grieving.

So many precious things about him;
So hard to think of life without him.
His one request they heard him ask
Was help for each unfinished task.

But Larry’s shoes no one can fill.
Machines and men are hushed and still
In honor of our dearest Larry
Whose soul to heaven God will carry.

That special place Christ did prepare –
His folks and sons now greet him there,
Where he for us will watch and wait
To hug our neck at heaven’s gate!

I don’t know if from there he sees us
But I know this: that he sees Jesus!
He’ll take his place in the witness crowd
And by God’s grace he’ll laugh out loud!

For there’s no death, no pain, no sorrow –
That’s our promise for tomorrow.
And knowing now our Larry’s glad
Might just help us not be too sad –

O we’re not sad for him, that’s true;
But for ourselves, what can we do
To go on living without Larry –
For he was everything to Sherry –

And to his sisters and his brother
And to every one another
That he hobnobbed with down here,
O Lord, please take our pain, our fear,
Replacing it with faith and love
That You have promised from above.

Our dear Larry died today
He’s at His Savior’s side today –
And with that confidence we’ll sing:
“O Lord back to our memory bring
The road of Jesus Larry trod –
The road that leads us up to God.