Richard Louis Isom

With heavy hearts, the Isom family regrets to announce the passing of our beloved Richard L. Isom, 78. Richard’s sharp wit, unique sense of humor, and generous spirit will be deeply missed. He leaves behind his wife Cametta, his son Richard Isom Jr., and their families. As an organ donor, Richard’s memory will live on.

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I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length, she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, “There, she is gone!”

“Gone where?”

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And, just at the moment when someone at my side says, “There, she is gone!”, there are other eyes watching her coming and others voices ready to take up the glad shout, “Here she comes!”

And, that is dying.

-- Anonymous