MY TEARFUL TRIBUTE TO MY TRUE FRIEND

Today a special friend and mentor transitioned from this life to eternity with the Lord he loved and served.  Clyde Barnhart was a faithful husband, loving father, and doting grandfather.  He was a caring pastor, successful CEO (Boy's Clubs of Cincinnati), and an outstanding preacher.  He was many things to many people.  To me....he was friend.

Someone has said that a friend is someone you love and they love you, someone you respect and they respect you, someone you trust and who trusts you.  Through times good and times not so good that was us; loving, respecting, and trusting each other.

I first met Clyde at church camp in 1965.  He was helping with the sports events and I was a Junior in High School.  He was a starting pitcher for the University of Michigan baseball team (MVP) at the time.  I asked him to speak to our youth group and he did. 

He would tell me later that it was his first time to do  anything like that and that he was scared  to death.  It wasn't too long after that that he felt a call to ministry.

After I graduated from college in 1970, I went to pastor in Taylor,Michigan.  Clyde was pastoring a church 10 miles away and a deep friendship was born.

It would take far too long to say all that I would like to say and bring way more tears then I have left.  But here are a few remembrances .



REFLECTIONS

 

I remember fishing trips to Lake Michigan, the Muskegon River, Northern Ontario, Lake Erie, and Sugar Creek.

I remember hunting trips for rabbits or pheasants.

I remember golf outings in Michigan, Ohio, and Florida.

I remember vacations to Tennessee  and Grand Cayman.

I remember prayer times over decisions we had to make.

I remember times of laughter and tears.

I remember tragedy and victories.

I remember so much and with each memory comes a story that makes me laugh or cry.

I will never forget my friend of 55 years and I pray that someday as those memories come flooding back once again that they will bring joy and laughter and not the heaviness and tears that now blur my vision.  My sorrow is not that of one who has no hope, but rather of one who has lost a loved, respected, and trusted friend.

For Clyde the best is not yet to come.  It has arrived.