In Memoriam

I want to thank those who have reached out to offer condolences to me and my family in the loss of my uncle Jeff Whillock.  Your kindness to our family is a grace.

For those who may not yet have heard, a memorial service for Jeff will take place Monday at 10am at Second Baptist Church.

Sometimes death comes as a mercy. Jeff struggled with an increasingly debilitating autoimmune disease for two decades. In recent years he had grown very weak and very tired.  This condition, plus the loss of Jeff's daughter Ellory six years ago, left the light of this life only a smoldering wick and the light of life to come a brighter and brighter hope. In the end, Uncle Jeff reached out to that light that was coming and took hold.

In spite of our loss, there is still much for which our family is grateful.  We are grateful for Jeff's generous spirit and concern for the less fortunate -- something he shared in common with both his father Fred and his beloved Aunt Mary and passed down to his daughter Ellory.  We are grateful for Sharon, Jeff's wife and Ellory's mother, who loved and cared for Jeff in so many ways, even unto his last hours. And above all, we are grateful for Jeff's love for Ellory and the hope we have that they are now together again forever.

"And now these three things remain: Faith, Hope, and Love. And the greatest of these is Love."

And Love never ends.