Fishing with friend: Pat Stelmack (right). Click to enlarge.
By Vickie Cherry
How do you say good-bye to a friend? On July 28th my family and I had to say good-bye to one of the best friends we ever had. Let me tell you about him. His name was Gordon Patrick Stelmack but he was known to all as Pat. Pat was truly a great man! What he had, Hollywood would call magic, but those who knew him well knew it was called the Holy Spirit and it flowed from Pat as a mighty river. (Sound familiar? John 7:38-39.)
Pat loved His Lord and he loved his Father. In fact Pat was a chip off the “Old Block”. If someone needed a meal, Pat would feed them. If someone needed work, Pat would give them a job. If someone needed financial help, he would give of his resources, even if he didn’t always have it to give. If you needed someone to talk to or a shoulder to lean on, Pat would be there for you.
Children flocked to Pat like the Pied Piper. The elderly found someone who would take time with them. The rest of us found a friend like a brother who was straight and true as an arrow. Pat was positive and happy, always ready with a joke or a riddle. He and his wonderful wife, Faye, hosted hundreds of people at their home over the years. Good food and song were always on the menu because Pat loved to sing and make music.
People were drawn to Pat, you just wanted to move in close and be in his wonderful welcoming presence, to share a laugh or a hug. My husband and I often said we had never met anyone who yielded himself to Jesus as Pat. It was a joy to behold and to participate in. If I had never known the Lord before knowing Pat, I would now be able to say I have met Jesus as face to face.
There has been an ache in my heart and in the heart of my family since the day that Pat and Faye told us that Pat was not feeling well. Now we grieve the loss that is so beyond our understanding. But I also see another picture, one of Pat being greeted by his family members and friends who have gone on before. And making their way to the front of the crowd I see three, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rushing to embrace Pat – in a scene reminiscent of Jesus’ account of the prodigal son – and saying, “My boy is home! My boy is finally home!”