Your Memory Will Live Forever

A Letter to a Scout Leader:

You were the one who taught my sons about responsibility. You were the one who taught my sons to pitch a tent, start a campfire, open a pocket-knife, make cherry yum-yum in a dutch oven, let the chairs get blown into the campfire, paddle a canoe without drowning. You were the one who drove my sons home from Boy Scouts when I had to work and there was no one else. You were the one who presented my son with his Eagle Scout Award. You were the one who had faith in my son when no other men in his life did. You were the one who taught my sons to laugh, cry, stand tall and remember who helped them get where they are today.

Rick Gilbert, Ensign Daniel Denton, Ray Denton

You were the one who stood with my sons when their great-grandfather passed on. You drove all night to attend a graduation 9 hours away for a young man who wouldn't have made it there if not for your support. You were the one who showed an entire generation of boys what it meant to be a man of character, responsibility, resilience, and grace. You were the one who led 17 boys to their Eagle Rank. SEVENTEEN...in less than 10 years.

Young, college-aged men drove for hours to attend your funeral. Young men wrote poignant letters to be read at your funeral. Young men pulled out Scout uniforms and hunted up badges and neckerchiefs, to pay tribute to your memory. This is the legacy that you leave behind. So many wonderful boys and men to show the world what a man you were. You will be sorely missed.