Heaven received another very special Angel this week. My good friend and work colleague Keith Barzee passed away last Sunday from cancer. Keith was a great co-worker, friend, brother, husband, father and grandfather. He will be missed greatly.
I have known Keith for many years. I first met him when he would come in from Terreton to pick up John Deere parts. When C&B Operations purchased the John Deere store in Terreton, we got to know each other very well. Keith was one of those guys that always had a smile on his face. He had a way of making everyone feel better just by being around him. After the John Deere store in Terreton closed, Keith accepted the job as service manager in Idaho Falls. I was really looking forward to working with him.
Keith and I worked well together, and we made a great team. Working with Keith allowed me to meet his family when they came into the dealership. It was evident he has a great bond with his kids, and it was easy to see why he was so proud of them. His wife Louise has a very friendly, outgoing personality and the minute you meet her, she makes you feel like your one of her best friends. It was easy to tell theirs was a love story meant to be. Over the years, we’ve had some great times together.
About a month ago, Keith’s daughter Lacy reached out to me and told me her dad’s condition was getting worse and he probably didn’t have much time left. She asked me if I would be willing to put the PowerPoint together for his funeral. I told her I would love too, and that I was extremely honored to be able to do it.
Lacy sent me a lot of pictures, and I couldn’t help but notice how many wonderful family pictures there were. It was especially heartwarming to see how many pictures there were with their grandchildren. I must admit there were several times these pictures brought a tear to my eye. The overwhelming blessing I received through all of this process was the appreciation of the true meaning of Easter and our Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation. As I looked at the pictures of this incredible family, I felt a peaceful feeling of love and warmth come over me. I was comforted to know they will all be able to be reunited thanks to the sacrifice our Savior made for all of us.
It made me feel grateful to know we can all be together with our loved ones that were needed to start their next chapter. I am blessed to know our family can be together again with our Angel Shannon. We will always LOVE AND MISS YOU sweetheart.
I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and you are able to make some terrific memories with your families.
Next week: Happy birthday to me!
P.S. To prove how classy Keith is, he had a long line of John Deere tractors leading the funeral procession.