Before God created the heavens, the earth and everything in it, he knew my

father. He knew his name, where hed live, who hed marry, who his children and friends would be, even the number of hairs on his head. He also knew the time and the place that he would pass away. I take great comfort in that. The questions were all asking today are why and why now. They are the questions weve all pondered this week. Questions weve all struggled with. What purpose does this serve? I believe God allows us to taste the bitterness of life sometimes, in order that we might know the sweetness of his Grace in ways that we wouldnt have otherwise. (Pause.) My father was born October 7th 1941 to Mary & John Rocha in Riverdale CA. He worked many long hours on his familys dairy farm with his sister Yvonne. The stories of him milking cows at dawn and picking cotton are many. He played football and baseball in high school, and in 1965 he married my mother, Dee Harper. After a vacation in Oregon, where dad fell in love with the Pacific NW, they moved to Tigard in 1966. He began work at ESCO where he worked for 29 years. In 1969 they adopted me when I was two months old. I must have been a little chubby as a baby, because, as I understand it, some of my Dads first words about me were Well, Ill need to beat him to the table. Two and half years later they were blessed with the birth of my sister, Gayla. Please notice that I said that THEY were blessed. My mother was the love of my fathers life. This May they would have been married 40 years. Together my parents gave us kids a living picture of what a solid, committed marriage looks like. My father affectionately called Mom, Peanut. On any given day you could find my mom in her kitchen cooking good things for Dad to eat, which for her was an act of love. They were a constant source of strength for each other. Their marriage withstood the test of time, and over that time the roots of their marriage grew deep. Not even the winds of adversity could uproot their commitment to each other. Those who knew my father most definitely knew he was an outdoorsman. He looked forward to those times of hunting and camping with his family and his friends. Annual deer hunting trips to Sugar Creek and elk hunting trips to Imnaha were standard. Even though I know he loved being in the outdoors, theres no doubt that his enjoyment came from the fellowship he had there with his friends.
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Its been said that you can judge a lot about a person by the kinds of friends they keep. If that is any indication as to the kind person my father was, then he was a great person, because he has so many close friends. When my wife asked Mom, Does Henry have a best friend? Her reply was, All of Henrys friends are his best friends. His friends are trustworthy; they have character, they have integrity, they have morals and above all they know the importance of family. Any one of his friends would give him the shirt off their back without a question as to why he needed it. We all want friends like that and Dad was blessed enough to be completely surrounded by them. I want to personally thank all of his friends for being there for him, for standing beside him, and most of all for locking arms with him in his walk through life. Dad was there for his friends as well. He understood the importance of friendship and gave his time freely to whoever needed it. My father never put himself first. He put his family and his friends above his own wants and needs. I believe that is the mark of a true friend, husband, father and leader. To some of you, including many of my childhood friends, he was a father figure. He was someone you could talk to. Someone you could look up to. Someone you could trust. I believe the greatest compliments a man can receive are those kind words that are spoken when they are not around. Ive heard my father described as gentle, caring, thoughtful, honest, trustworthy, honorable, reliable, great, respectable and humble, besides many more. I would add to that list that he was a leader and a man of character and integrity. He did what he said he would do. My father didnt care what people thought of him, but I believe deeply that he cared what God thought of him. I believe my father now resides in Heaven. Not because of the way he lived his life or how good a person he was. I believe that the goodness of my father and the way he lived his life was the fruit of the Holy Spirit working in his life. In the end I believe my father knew the need for a savior in Jesus Christ and humbly accepted that free gift from God. I believe he is in Heaven because he had a personal relationship with his God.

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I know Heaven is real and tangible. It isnt a metaphor, its an actual place. Heaven isnt an everlasting church service, thankfully. Nor is it a place where one sits on a cloud and strums a harp all day. Rather, it is where those who believe in Jesus Christ will live with him eternally. Its where I want to go. Its the race I am in with Heaven being at the goal line. Am I envious that my father is there? Sure! He gets to have all the questions I want to ask answered. During this time of our loss and our grief and our sorrow, it is hard for me not to be excited for him. If youre like me and have ever sat in a memorial service before, you wonder what the person is doing in Heaven at that moment. Right now, I wonder if maybe he is wrestling with Jacob or listening in awe to David tell how he defeated Goliath. But most likely? Hes with Kent and Herman discussing construction techniques with Noah. Or, maybe they are nagging Jesus to help build the many rooms in His Fathers house for us. (Pause.) Dad, I must selfishly admit that I wish you were still here with us. There is so much more I want to share with you. But, in doing so I would have to ask you to leave the place youre in. I would have to ask you to give up your perfect body for the broken body you had here. I would have to ask you to give up paradise. I would have to ask you to give up walking in the presence of God. And, I would have to ask you to give up eternity for mortality. As much as I miss you, I will sacrifice my broken heart and deal with my sorrow and grief for you to be with the Lord. So, we sit here today grieving our loss, and a great loss it is. But Dad, you leave behind a true and honorable legacy. Our lives are blessed because of the impact you had in them. Your life touched us all and thankfully none of us will ever be the same because of it. Its been an honor and a privilege to be your son. Mom, Gayla & Byron, Kris and I, and your grandchildren feel truly blessed that we are a part of your family. We have not lost you.. We have only lost contact with you. With our hearts focused on Heaven, I know that we will be together again. We Love You Dad.

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