Milton L. Weilenmann

My grandfather, Milt Weilenmann, passed away November 21, 2008.  He slipped peacefully away after living a long full life so his death was not a terrible tragedy.  But his absence from our lives is still sad, and his death represents the end of an era for my mom (he is her father).  My parents made is possible for us to fly to Salt Lake City for the services.  I am so glad we were able to do that, it was a nice time to remember what a wonderful man he is, and it was a spiritual experience for me as well.  As they made the final preparations before closing the casket I was suddenly stuck by the realization that what they were preparing him for was that great reunion with his Savior and Heavenly Father.

Here is something George Bernard Shaw wrote that he loved to quote:

“This is the joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one.  Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.  I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.  I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I love.  I rejoice in life for its own sake.  Life is no brief candle to me; it is a sort of splendid torch which I’ve got a hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”

And here is his obituary as well as an article from Salt Lake Tribune and an article from Deseret News about his life and passing.

Because of the timing of his passing (his funeral was the day before Thanksgiving), Scott, Susanna, and I were able to spend the holiday with family, a rare treat we had not indulged since we moved to Seattle four and a half years ago.