Rare Breed

It has been said eyes are the window to the soul, well then, an office cubicle must be a close second. As an exterminator, I could tell in ten seconds or less who or what the owner cherished. Most people hang photographs of their family, pictures drawn from their kids, quotes, cartoons, box scores, menus, you name it. My belief is you could tell more about a person from a brief encounter with their cubicle, then a week’s worth of small talk.

Take my cubicle for instance. At first glance you see the prerequisite family pictures, coffee mugs here and there, piles of paper strewn around, and a wall I refer to as the REMEMBER ME wall. On this wall are four very important people who have passed away, and seeing their faces reminds me of the more important things in life.

One of those four people is, Al Detweiler. On my wall hangs a picture of Al, in his mid-thirties, looking rather debonair, as he stands behind a lectern. He was the kind of man if you get to meet once in your life you are lucky. He had a booming voice and brilliant white hair even chemo could not take from him. Al never seemed to have anything but kind words to say even when he was in pain. On December 3rd, 2005, at the age of 76, Al departed from our midst after a long battle with cancer.

Al was married for fifty-six years to his wife Kass and they were blessed with twelve children, three born to them, nine adopted. He was many things in his lifetime such as pastor, camp director, bus driver and self proclaimed servant of others. In the 1970’s, he was granted the prestigious honor of being named Boyertown Man of the Year.

On a personal note, Al believed in me even when I had nearly given up on myself, he looked at me as someone with a job to do. Maybe he only voiced it a few times, but there was just a sense about him that no one was a lost cause.

It has been said that some people are a blessing when they come to visit and others are a blessing when they leave. Al Detweiler was a rare case of someone who was a blessing when he came to see you and is still a blessing long after he departed.

This phrase, from a poem he had taped to the front of his Bible, sums him up best: “I do not ask that men may sound my praises or headlines spread my name abroad; I only pray that as I voice the message, hearts may find God.”

“The rarest and greatest breed of men is not those who leave us in awe, but rather those who leave us wanting more; more of their time, more of their love, more of their wisdom, more of them.”

Swavel