One of RealClear's own, Jerry Rogers' — who ably edits RealClearPolicy and RealClearHealth — father died recently. He was a legend of a man. A lover of God, family, and country. We all could benefit on the recipe of his live well lived.
Mr. Rogers, welcome. As an Irish Catholic, I believe that we, or at least the Irish, get to hang around for our own funeral.
Mr. Rogers, you are a legend. Those who met you met a man in full. Not a man full of himself, but a complete man. Christ was in your manly soul. You were well ordered to what was above you, and you shared the world with those around you as a loving, golden-rule neighbor.
Every one of you has a Mr. Rogers story. Hold it in your mind right now. That moment, whatever it was, is your own particular and special expression of the man we are celebrating today.
You had a great run of a life. You gave more than you took. You served your family, your Church, and your country. You leave this world for the next with full honors and without regret. Mr. Rogers, you have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, you have kept the faith.
Funerals are for the living. We get the future that we praise and honor.
Men and women in these pews: this man died with his life complete. Take a part of him with you, and be like him when it’s needed, which is often.
Liam, your father raised you with your grandfather’s recipe. Your grandfather made your father, and he gave him the reasons behind things. You are a blessed young man.
Son, grief is an inheritance. We only grieve what we love. Your grandfather is no longer in Jersey. He is in Heaven, as your patron. But he’s also in your heart and in your character. He’s in your dad, too. Too much, sometimes. Talk to him. Walk with him. He will be with you.
Ladies, Mr. Rogers was a man’s man. Not every man is a gentleman. Mr. Rogers was a gentleman and a defender of all women. Remember him. He was a lifer. He kept his “till death do us part” vows.
We don’t make men like Mr. Rogers anywhere near as often as we need them. Once upon a time, we did.
Let’s remember him often, and rebuild what he stood for in our own lives and families. Try to live a life worthy of a good funeral.
We sent a case of Irish whiskey to the Rogers home, with the request that a bottle go into the casket for his passage, and that a couple make it to the cemetery.
Sláinte, Mr. Rogers. Say hi to my dad. God bless you all.
Read the full obituary for Gerald Rogers here.
