It was an average Friday morning. I was at work. After a long week, I was tired and looking forward to the weekend and 2 days off of work. I received a phone call from my mom at around 11 AM. I answered it expecting to hear a funny story of something that Addison had said or done but unfortunately that isn’t the news I was given. She told me that my Papaw Pogue, her father, had passed away that morning. She said that he had gone down to the lake which was probably his most favorite place on Earth and that some neighbors across the street had found him in his truck—and there was no pulse. Apparently he was getting ready to go somewhere and probably had a massive heart attack before he even left. EMS was called but it was too late.
This has all been so hard for me. I am 37 years old and he was the first grandparent that I’ve had to lose. I know I’m so blessed and have been so lucky to be as old as I am and still have all of my grandparents. There are plenty of things to be happy about even though the physical loss is so hard. First of all, he was a Christian man and I know that he has a new body and heart and lungs and is with his Father now. Secondly, he had a long life here on Earth filled with lots of children (6), grandchildren (15) and great-grandchildren (20) whom he loved and who loved him. He is reunited with his parents, his son Mark who died of cancer in 1997, his grandson Michael who died in 2009, his granddaughter Amber, and other aunts, uncles, siblings, and friends who preceded him in death. Finally, I am thankful that he died at the lake which is the place he preferred to be and thankful that my grandmother was not the one who found him.
My uncles Jackie and David took off to the lake as soon as they got the call and were actually the ones who brought his body back to Louisville so that it could be prepared for the funeral services.
The visitation was at Schoppenhorst, Underwood, & Brooks Funeral Home on Sunday, July 31st from 2-8 and the Funeral was Monday, August 1st at 10 AM. The visitation was very busy with lots of friends and family who paid their condolences. I wouldn’t say it was a sad time though—there were tears but much more smiles and laughs at the recollection of memories with Jack Pogue—he was a character and we got to hear a lot of funny stories of memories that people shared of him.
Pastor Larry Sawyer who is the pastor at Okolona Church of Christ (where my grandparents go to church) officiated the Funeral Service. Again, there were tears at the funeral but so many smiles and good memories that were shared too. Paul Maglinger, my cousin by marriage, led the music as we sang some of my grandfather’s favorite songs—Amazing Grace, Mansion Over the Hilltop, and I’ll Fly Away. Matt Deaton, another cousin by marriage, read a poem that was written by my Uncle David and then he prayed.
Following the ceremony, many friends and family went to Okolona Church of Christ for a wonderful lunch that was prepared by the ladies there at the church. It was so nice and we were so grateful for that additional time to fellowship with family and friends. Anyone who knows my family well knows that we love to sing so after everyone finished eating we all got together and sang some of my Papaw’s favorite songs from the hymns such as Paradise Valley, It is Well with my Soul, New Song, etc… I know he would have loved that and was probably singing along with his pitch pipe from Heaven.
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