Ron Crumbaker

My friend Ron just passed away Saturday. He will be missed. Here are some things I knew about him, and some things I didn't know, as well:

To say that Ron loved flying would be an understatement. It was his whole life. I know that to some flying is a major source of anxiety, that there are those who simply cannot understand how anyone could even tolerate it, let alone find immense joy in it; but, being a pilot myself, I completely understand the draw to fly, and the fulfillment that one can find in it. There is just something about being able to break away from the earth and soar in the heavens that is both indescribably addictive and completely fulfilling.

It has been said that to fly an airplane is the second most exciting thing a man can do. And of course, any pilot will tell you that the first most exciting thing a man can do is to land said airplane.

There have been attempts by others to describe what it is like to be a pilot, and to fly. I would like to share with you a couple of poems about just that:

IMPRESSIONS OF A PILOT — Gary Claud Stokor
Flight is freedom in its purest form,To dance with the clouds which follow a storm;
To roll and glide, to wheel and spin,To feel the joy that swells within;
To leave the earth with its troubles and fly,And know the warmth of a clear spring sky;
Then back to earth at the end of a day,Released from the tensions which melted away.
Should my end come while I am in flight,Whether brightest day or darkest night;
Spare me your pity and shrug off the pain,Secure in the knowledge that I'd do it again;
For each of us is created to die,And within me I know,I was born to fly.

That certainly describes Ron’s love for flying, and of course, he was able to achieve that destiny.

The other day, Ron's wife Vicki told me that Ron loved to hunt and fish, and that one of the things he cherished was a picture of him with the sailfish he caught in Mexico. I must admit, I was surprised. I told her I had no idea that Ron was a hunter and a fisherman. She said, “Believe me, neither did I when Ron and I first married.”

She told me the story about the time, shortly after they were married when Ron went with Uncle Leroy and some other guys to Uncle Leroy’s favorite fishing hole. They took along their motorcycles, because at a certain point the road was blocked off. They rode their motorcycles way up into the high country, where they stayed and fished for three days. When Ron got home, Vicki was surprised to see that he had not shaved, bathed, or washed his hair for three days. She said it was so surprising because she almost never saw him in anything except a three-piece suit. I told her I guess it is true what I have read, “Love may be blind, but marriage is a real eye opener.”

Well, Captain Ron sat at life's runway threshold for 67 years; and, finally, he heard God, the Ultimate Air Traffic Controller, say, "Okay, Ron, you are cleared for takeoff." No doubt, he has landed on those streets of gold, and taxied right up to the throne of God, where he is enjoying indescribable fellowship with the Lord. See you soon, Ron.

For a great scripture, go to http://www.makefunofyourday.blogspot.com/