John Retires

Tribute to John Intro: • Earlier this week I received an email from our good friend Jim Freeman. For those of you who don't know him, Jim is 72 years of age and the owner of A1 Freeman Moving and Storage based in Oklahoma City. • Since moving to Oklahoma, and despite the 40 years between us, Jim and I have become good friends with regular lunch meetings. My relationship with Jim has taught me a lot about Dad. • In his email Jim asked if I'd be sure to congratulate John on his 47 year career in the business. • He also told me that he had logged 48 years in the business, and called my dad a chicken shit for quitting at such a young age. • Personally, I think 47 years is remarkable. • For those of you who like numbers, 47 years equates to 2,444 weeks, 12,267 working days, and 97,760 working hours. • For those of you follow Presidential politics, Lyndon B. Johnson was the President of the United States when dad started at Redman, and there have been eight Presidents since then, three of which served two terms. • A few years ago Dad was asked if he would be interested in serving on the Workers Compensation Board of Utah, a position appointed by the Governor. • As part of this process Dad was asked to submit a resume. As you might imagine Dad didn't have a resume, so he asked me if I'd help him out, which I was happy to do. • While working with both Mom and Dad on his resume I learned a great deal about all of the things he has accomplished in his career. • We've heard about many of these things tonight. • Rather than going through the many things that shaped the man my Dad is, I'd like to spend the next few minutes speaking on behalf of my brothers, the men that my Dad shaped. Thank you for… The Spiritual Lessons • Teaching us to be faithful • To pray in difficult times, like when the car breaks down on a road trip, or when facing severe weather on the sailboat on the great salt lake • To sacrifice our time and energy to serve others • To go to church every Sunday • Starting every family trip with a prayer • Beginning every meal with a prayer • Going to the temple regularly • Being a valiant home teacher The Professional Lessons: • The importance of developing meaningful relationships with the people we work with. Including your friends and colleagues that are with us tonight, and one we recently lost. • Showing up to work on time • Doing more than what we are asked to do • Prioritize our time and focus on the most important things • To be fair, and acknowledge others when they do something of significance • Not quitting when things are tough The Physical Lessons: • The importance of having a good tan • Exercising regularly and avoiding idleness • Teaching us how to ski on snow and water • How to ride a bike • How to shoot a gun • How to play golf, and also how to cheat while playing golf The Financial Lessons: • How to be a good provider • How to develop and manage a budget • How to save money and value what we earn • How to spend money wisely • The sense of pride that come with a "do it yourself" approach • The risks and down the road costs that come with a "do it yourself" approach • The value of purchasing a single refillable beverage with 6 complimentary straws The Personal Lessons: • How to make a plan, and stick to it • Always be in a hurry, even when you’re running way ahead of schedule • The importance of getting out and seeing the world • The importance of marrying a good woman, who is equally committed to being faithful and virtuous • Enjoying the luxuries of life on occasion, without becoming consumed by them • Never acting like you are better than anyone else • Being willing to get your hands dirty when the occasion calls for it • Not to be wasteful • How to respect and take care of the things we have, including washing and waxing a car • To enjoy music • Being polite and showing gratitude • Being the kind of man who leaves a positive impression on others. • Such an impression that others feel compelled to tell your children how much they admire you. • To be kind to kind to others, even if they've been unkind to you • Teaching us how to start a conversation with strangers on the ski lift, or in other public places, and being comfortable doing so • To be resourceful • To be disciplined • To be consistent • To be self-reliant • To have fun and laugh at ourselves • To be diplomatic, and respectful Conclusion: • These are only a few of the many things we've been taught by you Dad. • We didn't learn these things because you told us they are important, we learned these things because we watched you do them. • Dad we forgive you for your faults. • We all now know how difficult it is to raise children. • We now know how difficult it is to come home after a stressful day at work and have so much expected of us. • We now know how frustrating it can be when the things we worked so hard for don't get treated with the level of respect we would like. • We know that Fatherhood doesn't come with an owner’s manual. • We know that you did your best to teach us, and give us the best chance to be successful in all aspects of life. • And you did just that. • That is why we, your sons, are so proud to call you Dad.