Evan Whitesides 1923-2008

(Ben) Many of you already know that my grandfather, Evan Whitesides, passed away a week ago Tuesday, on March 25th. His health had been deteriorating for several years as he battled Parkinson's disease, and in many ways his passing was a blessing and we are glad that he is finally resting.

I was able to fly home to attend his funeral last Saturday, and I really don't think I've been to a funeral as inspiring as his was, except maybe President Hinckley's. Grandpa was an incredible man with so many qualities that I admire, and I think that all of us who attended were left feeling like we have a long way to go.

There were two things in particular that I've really been thinking about since his passing. First, I can think of no better example than Grandpa. None of my siblings can really remember him ever giving a lecture or even verbally teaching a lesson. What we can remember is that Grandpa was always in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing. When he was needed at a church meeting, he was there. When we needed him to harvest the raspberries or weed the corn, he was there. Not only that, but he was there on time, and with a smile on his face. Grandpa reached out to people unlike anyone else I know. I've been told that he (and Grandma) knew the names of all the primary kids in their home ward. I can't even name all the primary kids in our little branch! Grandpa cared about people enough to be there for them.

The second lesson that I learned from Grandpa is to "hoe to the end of the row." Thanks to my mom I'll never forget that phrase, but whenever I think of it I'll always think of my grandfather. Grandpa always finished the jobs that he started, and the job wasn't done until it was done well. What's more, Grandpa loved to do the work. Once I was out with him in the garden in the spring, and we were just planting seeds for a new season. I asked him what he enjoyed the most in gardening: planting, growing, or harvesting. Now, my answer to that question would definitely be harvesting because it means that the job is done and you get to literally enjoy the fruits of your labors. Not Grandpa. His favorite part was the planting, the anticipation of a summer of hard work. I think that's very characteristic of Grandpa. And you can be sure that once he planted the seeds, he would be there (at 6:00am!) to plow, weed, irrigate, prune, and pick until the job was done.

Needless to say, we all loved grandpa, and we will miss him dearly. My faith in the resurrection, however, has tempered my sadness and helped me to be able to celebrate a life well lived.