Eulogy for Douglas Langer.
English is a marvelous language. It is understood in every country and taught in schools all over the world. Its alphabet is simple and its sounds are easy to pronounce. English has words to describe every concept the human mind can grasp. Sometimes, though, english words try to do too much.
Take the word "friend", for example. There are many kinds of friends. There are the friends we know at work. We see them every day, but often that's the only place we see them. Still we call them friends. Or we have former neighbors or classmates. We exchange Christmas cards, but sometimes we don't see them from one year to the next. Still we call them friends. Then there are boyfriends or girlfriends, terms we use to describe romantic relationships. When the relationship ends, the standard breakup line is, "Can't we still be friends?" We know we won't, not the same kind of friends.
Jesus tells us about a friend in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan helped a fellow-traveler, a stranger, in distress. Jesus didn't call the Samaritan a friend, but we know he was indeed a friend, and a very good friend to be sure.
Years ago, someone described to me that kind of friend. He said a real friend is someone who will get out of bed in the middle of a rainy night and come to the police station to bail you out of jail.
This morning we honor the memory of a good, decent, gentle man who was that kind of friend. Year after year after year, Doug got up from meals in the icy cold of winter, putting out fires in Thompson's homes. That's a real friend.
Doug got out of bed in the middle of rainy nights, rescuing travelers in automobile accidents. That's a real friend.
Doug went out of his safe home during wild wind storms, directing motorists around downed power lines. That's a real friend.
Doug dragged hoses through woods in sweltering hot weather, fighting brush fires on the property of people he didn't even know. That's a real friend.
Once Doug even crawled out on thin ice to save someone's poor dog from drowning in Quaddick Lake. That's a real friend.
I could go on. But let me return to the parable of the Good Samaritan. A man asked Jesus "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus told him the parable of the Good Samaritan and said, "Go and do likewise". That's how Doug lived his life.
We may not have a word to describe what a good friend Doug has been to us. But I'm sure God does. And I believe God has a place in heaven for Doug Langer, a Good Samaritan.
Frank McGarry. 10 July, 2009
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