In Memory of Uncle Dick

Richard D. Johnston was born on October 18, 1920, in the home of a man named Ben, who worked for the local railroad.

And then, 98 years later, on May 21, 2019, Richard (Uncle Dick) went home to be in heaven with his Savior Jesus Christ. Most of you, if not all, who read this never knew this man even existed. In fact, lots of people pass from this earth every day, and we will never know who they are. But Uncle Dick was different, and he lived a life that needs to be talked about to others for many years to come.

What made him so special, you may ask? Well, it’s funny how special works nowadays. We think someone is special if they receive 100k followers on Instagram. Or get a picture with their favorite celebrity, and if this is the standard that makes someone special, then Uncle Dick would have never made the cut. But if your standard for special includes courage, faithfulness, love, service, and selflessness, then Uncle Dick will go down as a legend.

I want to share with you little pieces of his life and give you lessons that I have learned about how the man lived. I hope they give you strength, guidance, and, above all, perspective on what truly matters in this life God has given you.

Lessons I Learned from Uncle Dick:

1. If you want something, you find a way; if you don’t, you find an excuse.

Well, it all started when he married the love of his life, Sarah, on April 3, 1942. I mean, he was CRAZY about her. The kind of love crush you feel when you lay your eyes on that special someone for the first time. Yeah, it was like that. He opened the door for her. He gently held her arm while she was walking across the snowy parking lot during winter because he wanted her to be safe. He would cook for her. Flirt with her because when she smiled, his heart became full in some special way no human has ever been able to put into words. Are you getting the picture? Sarah was the love of his life. And it wasn’t a passing feeling that comes and goes; it was a cultivated relationship that whispered in someone’s ear for 60-plus years, “I’LL LOVE YOU TIL THE END OF TIME.”

Most people have the opportunity to enjoy their marriage right after it happens. They go on a honeymoon and all the other gross stuff that happens right after you get married that most people enjoy for some reason. But Uncle Dick ended up fighting in WW2 for just about three years of his life…strait. Can you imagine? Marrying your bride and then not seeing her for three years? That would be hard to do! In fact, he shared with me that most of the men around him couldn’t do it, and many made decisions to be unfaithful to their wives and girlfriends.

But not Uncle Dick, don’t you remember? He was special! He had one woman on his mind: his bride, Sarah. He loved her deeply, and that, to him, was ALWAYS worth fighting for.

While he was at war, he probably should have died several times as a driver for the commanding officers. In fact, he recalled a couple of times when grenade shrapnel actually cut his head while exploding near him. That’s crazy!

He and Sarah would write each other letters that, most of the time, took up to six months to receive. I often like to imagine that special day in both of their lives when Uncle Dick got off that airplane and arrived safely home to the United States. Once his feet hit the ground, he looked up, and there, wearing her pretty red dress and pearly white necklace, stood his bride, Sarah, the one with whom he had waited and dreamed about seeing for so long. Oh, what a special moment it was for him and her. Their embrace was sweeter than a slow sunset in July.

They were married for 66 years until the Lord called her home on March 16, 2008 (her birthday). I know he missed her something fierce and, yet again, couldn’t wait until he got to see her again.

Application:

I have an opinion about my generation, and we make A LOT of excuses. “I don’t want a long-distance relationship!” “I could get rejected!” “I’m just not feeling it anymore.” “The job I really want takes too much time, and it would be way too hard to obtain.”

Honestly, if you never have the courage to fight for what you want, you’ll never be any further along than you are right now. Uncle Dick had every excuse in the book but chose rather to keep taking one more step at a time because he knew what he truly wanted. If you want something, you’ll find a way, and if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse. After all, “…ships are safe in the harbor, but that is not what ships are for.” William Shedd

2. You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.

Do you know how long Uncle Dick was a giving member of his church? For fifty straight years of his life, he was NEVER a consumer only. If volunteers were needed, he was the first in line. He would mow his neighbors’ yards well into his nineties. Yes, I said his nineties. He was so gentle. ALWAYS smiling, laughing, teasing, and trying to bring fun to everyone’s day. In fact, he once told me I reminded him of a cow grazing in the pasture the way I would stick around the dinner table at family get-togethers. (Don’t worry, Uncle Dick, it’s not like I am bitter about that or anything!)

My mother told me that he had saved his money up to pay for a funeral dinner at a restaurant afterward so no one would have to make a meal and do all the dishes.

On the day that he passed away, he called his beloved daughter right before he died so he could tell her he loved her and goodbye one last time.

Do the you get the picture? He believed it was better “to give than to receive.” And boy did he ever! Selfless and thoughtful of others to his very last breath on earth.

Application:

The world comes at us 150 m.p.h. Every single day, we as a country are consumed by greed. We have to work harder, buy more, and chase all of our empty ambitions. But honestly, this could be your last day on earth. And if it was, would anyone be at your funeral? Would the world look any different because you lived in it?

People need Jesus! Your neighbor needs Jesus. And they will not be saved by His grace through arguments and condemning frowns. But through selflessness and giving of unconditional love. The “patient” kind given by someone who truly understands just how much he has been forgiven of.  You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.

3. Life is not just about how well you started, but it’s always about how well you finished.

Remember that moment I imagined when he returned from war and got to see Sarah for the first time in three years? Wow. Powerful. Heartwarming.

But that meeting on earth was nothing in comparison to the reunion they just had in heaven. It was probably pretty bright up there. Once he opened his eyes in his new eternal home, he looked up, and there she was—back in that beautiful red dress, smiling at him just like she always used to. He probably ran as fast as he could to hold her again. Oh, how sweet it was.

But even then, that was not the greatest hug he got when he arrived at heaven’s gates. The sweetest hug was when he saw Jesus, the Son of God. Who had no problem recognizing his servant, Dick Johnston. I don’t believe for a moment our God is robotic. He is a personal Savior. I bet ya He said something like, “Uncle Dick, you lived a special, selfless, and faithful life for My glory…well done, My good and faithful servant... welcome home.”

When I heard the news of his departure, I wept as I lay mulch in Raleigh, North Carolina. I did not shed tears because it hurt so deeply or because I regretted losing him; I know he is in heaven! I shed tears because I was truly honored to have known him and been around him for short moments of my life.

Uncle Dick, when I have bad days on my journey through earth, I like to stop for a few moments and think about your life. All that you lived through and all that you endured. And even through it all, you always found something to smile about, even through your 98th year of life. Then I think to myself, if he could do it, by God’s grace, I can do it too.

I love you. You were a man’s man—an inspiration to a generation that needs heroes.

In a word, you were special. And I will always be a better man for knowing you.

See you soon.