Charity personified

Another of the elders of our parish community completed his earthly pilgrimage last week.  Today, we commended his eternal soul to the Lord.

Funeral homily for Desmond (Des) Purdon

The book of Ecclesiastes, from which we have read this morning, reminds us that there is a time for every matter under heaven (Ecc 3:1).  Throughout the nine decades of his life, our brother Des found time to experience many matters indeed.

The fourth of nine children born to John Purdon and his wife Kathleen grew up on the family farm.  Throughout those first twenty years of his life, he learned that there is a time to plant and a time to harvest what has been planted (Ecc 3:2).  Many of the lessons learned in those early years formed his heart and molded his soul, but it wasn’t until he moved to the big city of North Bay that he met Mary Jane, fell in love and married the girl who would be his life companion for almost sixty years.  In the cycle of life, there is a time to be born and a time to die (Ecc 3:2) and so it was that in time, Des and MJ celebrated with great joy at the birth of each of their four children.  Over the years, they rejoiced in each of the accomplishments and successes, not only of their children, but also their grandchildren, often going to great lengths to be present at significant moments in all your lives.

In everything he did, Des took care of people.  In his earlier years, he was part of the city Police Force, protecting North Bay’s citizens: seeing them all in a way as part of his own family.  Together with us, he found a time to weep with those who were sad and a time to laugh with those who were joyous (cf Ecc 3:4); he mourned with those who were saddened, often attending funerals and supporting families in their grief, and he danced as often as he could with the characteristic four-step movements he and his brothers had all learned in their youth.

Taking care of people meant that at one moment he might be playing chauffeur to one of his children or grandchildren, and at the next moment, he would be busy in a kitchen, helping to set out dishes and to prepare for a feast.  Gatherings of people at the Knights of Columbus hall, or at any one of the family cottages, or at the Purdon family reunions furnished ample opportunities for him to welcome all those who were in attendance.  Des shared many a plate of food, but those who knew him best knew never to ask him to share his chocolates, not even with his favorite sons-in-law.

For many years, Des worked with the Ontario Retail Sales Tax office, but he was never the kind of tax collector that is portrayed among Jesus’ first disciples.  Rather, he found joy in welcoming every visitor who came to see him.  Whether you were a sibling of his, or a neighbor, or a total stranger, he was always gracious and engaging, wanting to share the story of his life and to hear others recount their own adventures.

The Knights of Columbus, an organization that Des was proud to be a part of for many years, focus their efforts on promoting charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.  Des lived and breathed these qualities until the final moment of his earthly life.  In the words of Saint Timothy, he fought the good fight … and kept the faith (2 Tim 4:7), so we commend his eternal soul into the arms of the Lord and pray that he will grant him the crown of righteousness (cf 2 Tim 4:8) that he so deeply deserves.

As for us, today we give thanks for all that we have known and loved in the time that we have shared with Des.  Now that he no longer walks among mortals, we will miss him, but our faith tells us that we should not let our hearts be troubled (Jn 14:1) for surely there is a place prepared for him in the Father’s house.  He discovered the way to that celestial home at his mother’s knee, and in time, he taught us all to look to Jesus who is the way to the truth, and to the eternal life (cf Jn 14:6) that awaits us all.