On May 16, 2021, over one hundred family members and friends gathered at the Sumiton Community Center in Walker County, Alabama, for a memorial service for my father, who passed away that February from a form of bone marrow cancer. The numbers were overwhelming, but not surprising. My father made sure everyone he ever met remembered him. His name brought smiles to so many faces they felt like they had to be there.
Being the writer in the family, the responsibilities of the obituary and eulogy fell to me. I reprint the obituary here so you can get a sense of the man, my father Luther L. (Luke) Tittle:
"Luther L. (Luke) Tittle, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away on February 20, 2021 at his home in Sumiton, Alabama, aged 79.
"Luke was born January 27, 1942 in Townley, Alabama to Cullin and Nora Idean Tittle (née Townley). On July 8, 1967, he married Lasenda Joan Grace of Nauvoo. They raised two sons, James Cullen (m. Kelly Denise Kilpatrick) and Ryan Cole. He was the proud grandfather of Joshua Cade and James Colby.
"With a remarkable sense of humor and a love of life, he made an impression on everyone he met. Working many years as a salesman, he often said, 'What you are selling is yourself' and he made sure no one ever forgot him.
"Luke was preceded in death by his father, mother, and sister Rose Marie Warren. He is survived by his wife, sons, grandsons, sister Kim Annette Winslett, nieces, nephews, and a host of family members that loved him dearly and considered him their brother. The family would like to thank Dr. Noah Fitzpatrick of St. Vincent’s Hospital, Dr. Carter Capra of Alabama Oncology, Amedisys Home Health Care, and SouthernCare New Beacon Hospice for their assistance during his illness.
"In lieu of flowers, send donations in his name to Shriners Hospitals, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Easter Seals, or the Alabama Head Injury Foundation."
So, even though we had a minister to give the proper memorial, it was time for me to get up to speak. Intermittently, throughout his last years, I recorded Dad telling stories and tried to jot things down, realizing most of what he knew I'll never carry with me.
So, near the anniversary of his birthday, I reprint my eulogy here and send it up to him today.
"The family would like to thank everyone for taking time out of your day to celebrate my Dad—seventy nine years of love, laughter, and life to the fullest. Many of you travelled great distances to be here today and we are thankful for each and every one of you and know those who couldn’t be here are with us in spirit. Let me also say that I am so proud of my loving mother, how she has continued on with the day-to-day and proved her awesome energy and determination time and time again. I love you.
"In addition, we would like to thank Dr. Noah Fitzpatrick, Dad’s doctor for the last twenty-five years of his life. We couldn’t have kept him all these years without such wonderful care and attention.
"Not everyone gets to know their fathers as adults. When I was a child, Dad was often gone before daybreak and home after 6. I remember the one time he was able to chaperone on a field trip in elementary school was such a big deal for me, they put his picture playing with all us kids on the trip in the yearbook.
"But, while he worked so much when I was a kid, these last twenty-five years, we became true best friends. I hope I soaked up all I could learn from him in that time. I would give anything to have him back, but I know he’s in Heaven today and that’s what I wanted to speak of.
"Several times these last years, he told me about a recurring dream he had. A dream that seemed so real, he never forgot it. Many of you know he loved playing near and swimming in Lost Creek as a kid. Well, one night, he laid down and had this dream.
"One day, Lukie was at Lost Creek, playing. It seemed like any other day, but something was different—something he had never seen before. Around a bend on the creek, he saw two bluffs towering over the water and, between them, the creek was flowing somewhere else. He decided to get a boat and go between the bluffs and see where the creek was leading him. He didn’t have much gas, but he had to see what was back there.
"So, he approached the opening between the bluffs. He could barely make anything out but a flicker of sunlight. Finally, the light got brighter and, as he came out the other side, it was like a wonderland. Water everywhere, boats, beautiful creek banks. Not many people, he saw, but he realized those who were there were for him. He stopped by a pier where there was gas. The attendant told him to fill up his tank—the gas was always free. So, he spent the rest of the day in a kind of paradise behind a cove—swimming, boating, eating great food—the food was also free, anywhere he went.
"On certain days, he would go back behind the bluffs to see if it was all in his mind—but it wasn’t. He would go and, again—free gas, the open water, freedom, happiness.
"Is Heaven pearly gates and mansions for us all? Or do we get more of what made us happy here when we get there. If I had my choice, I would hope Dad’s Heaven is behind the bluffs at Lost Creek. I hope he’s on a boat with a full tank of gas, living his afterlife with the same hope, positivity, and that incredible smile that made everyone here love him and never forget him.
"I love you Dad and I’ll see you again someday."
