Today we gather to celebrate the life of Ruben Hofer. A life that has been spent working the earth to provide for his family, a life that was lived to the fullest, a life that will be missed. He was a man who will be remembered as hardworking and modest. He had simple needs. He was forthright and honest, a person with humble beginnings who placed a great value on an honest days work.
I will remember him as a craftsman, his specialty was woodworking. I still have the wooden kitchen and the rocking horse he made for me with his own two hands and now they are used and loved by my children. These are more valuable to me than all the treasures of the world. I remember his little work shed complete with huge pieces of machinery, blocks of wood, the piles of sawdust and that scary rattle snake skin mounted over the window. I can still smell the freshly cut wood. His shed was what I envisioned Santa’s workshop to look like… only a lot smaller.
I remember how safe it felt to be in his lap. With his big husky arms wrapped around you… you felt like the world couldn't touch you. Oh, and the little yellow motorcycle with the black wheels that he would run up and down your neck, shoulders and back! What a funny put-put sound he would make as he has tickling you. It was all you could do to not fall off his lap with laughter. All you grandkids know what I am talking about. Some of us grandkids lived closer and some further away. I happened to be in the ‘further away’ category. But when we visited, he made us feel like we were the only ones in the whole world.
I have had people coming to me all week telling me how sorry they are that I lost my Grandfather. And I thank them and say that I am okay and that this is a good thing. He has gone home to stand at the side of our Lord, our Father and now knows no pain. His body which once was failing him is now healed. His mind is now clear and sharp and he is watching over us. He is reunited with his Mother and Father and those who journeyed before him. He will be waiting for us too. What a comforting thought it is to know that he is waiting for us.
He had a life full of sacrifices, determination and perseverance. As we commemorate his life, we celebrate the legacy he has left us. His legacy is in his family and his friends. His legacy is the people that he has helped and the lives that he has touched. He has left us a history. And now this history is in our hands to carry on where he left off.I love you Grandpa!
