Saturday December 18, 2010

Saying Goodbye to a Friend

Thursday, December 9

On Thursday morning, December 9, David Smucker (youngest son of our longtime Amish friends) called to say that his dad had died during the night.

We were not surprised because Amos wasn’t doing well when we visited them in September. Amos told us then that he was so ready to see Jesus. Also, David had called earlier in the week to let us know that Hospice told them he did not have many more days left here one earth.

We went to their place just after lunch so we would have time to visit with Linda, their children, and grandchildren. Amish usually bury soon after death, and have the visitation/viewing in their house. His body was already back in the house from the undertaker.

We also enjoyed meeting many of Amos’ brothers and sisters as well as Linda’s siblings.

We chose this day, because Linda said the next day would be much busier as by then the news would have reached the Amish community. We were invited to the funeral, but chose this day when we had more time to visit. Also the two-hour service was in German, so we wouldn’t understand anything.

Shortly after leaving their home, we met this Amishman and his team of mules.

Cerwin and Amos knew each other since they were teenagers. Then a few years after we were married (when making a fuel delivery in their area), Cerwin recognized Amos’ name on a mail box and stopped in to visit. Linda immediately invited us for lunch, which is when our friendship developed.

If I remember correctly, our daughter Diane was two at the time, so that was forty-two years ago. We have many wonderful memories of our friendship with the Smucker family.