A Letter From Reverend Glenn Cole To His Dad   August 4th, 1974…a day that our (all the children of Sonny and Inez Cole), lives changed forever. Today, August 4th, 2004, there are not any headlines in the newspaper, no news clips on CNN or even the local TV stations, but we remember that day as clearly today as we did then…the day our Dad passed from this walk of life into eternal rest. It is hard to believe that 30 years have passed since that day, but it has been.  I sit here thinking back to that day, I remember the phone call came about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. DiAnn and I had just gotten home from church on that Sunday afternoon. Little did we realize when we got up that Sunday morning this would be the day that we would lose our Dad, even though we all knew deep within our hearts that it was coming, but no one seemed to want to talk about that. On the way over to Mother and Daddy’s house I remember telling DiAnn this was a day that I had dreaded for a long time.  When we arrived, family and friends had already started to gather knowing that his time on earth was short and everyone wanted to be there to spend as much time as possible with him. The mood was somber yet there were lighter moments as we talked about old times with old friends. And we remembered, did we ever remember…his laugh, his ever present smile, his sternness when necessary and all the things that went on in our lives…and then about 3 minutes before 10 PM he quietly slipped away.   On Wednesday, August 7th, 1974 we had his funeral at the Bryant Assembly of God church…boy what a crowd, family, friends, business people…you name it, they were there to pay their respects to a special man whom they admired and respected. Even though the church seated between 250 and 300, not everyone could get inside. Cars were in the parking lot, along side the street and even parked in the middle of the street. It took about 1 hour just for everyone to walk by for the final viewing. There were business people, men and women, openly weeping and wiping tears as they viewed the remains of this man. What a tribute to our Dad!  As I sit here today, I remember…. His passions:  1. He was passionate about God and church. He knew where God brought him from. I have heard him tell the story many times about the night he got saved…when he started through the gate to the sidewalk leading up to the house; he saw not 1 but 2 gates because he was drunk. (I don’t remember our Dad from those days since I was only about 1 year old when he got saved). But within 15 minutes of accepting the Lord as Savior he was sober. He never tried to force people to his beliefs, but give him a chance and he would tell you about the Lord. When he stood to testify during a testimony service, he would sit down and jump back up and this may happen 3 or 4 times during his testimony.  2 He was passionate about his family. There was never any doubt that he loved us all equally, of course it was only natural that he felt things about certain children. To explain….there was Nettie, named after Grandma Treadway, his and Mother’s “firstborn” or oldest child. Then there was Elton who was his 1st and oldest son and was given the middle name Eli after his own father. Let me jump past Mary, Carolyn, Ronnie and myself down to Pam, his last child and the baby of the family. He knew this would be his last child and she got away with things that even the oldest could not get away with. There is no envy or jealousy in these words or between any of the siblings, because overall, we were all loved equally, just in different ways. There was Ida Jo that he and Mother took on the responsibility of raising after Grandma and Grandpa Treadway passed away. She was treated just like all the rest of Dad’s own biological children and he loved her just like one of his own.  2. Continuing with family, there was our Mother, his wife and the love of his life. Anytime he made extra money, he would stop at J. C. Penny Co. and buy her a new dress or a new skirt and blouse. No special occasion, such as a birthday or anniversary, he would do it just to say “I love you”. When she would wear the new dress or skirt and blouse, he never failed to tell her how good it looked on her and he always was proud of the way she looked, after all, that was his wife. He never failed to kiss her when he started to leave the house and again when he came home.  3. He was passionate about his grandkids. From Tony, that first grandson all the way to Phillip, Tammy, Lin, Tim, Lisa, Cavin and Keith. If he had been here when Dawn was born, he would have loved her so much…but I am sure that he knows who she is. There was Don & Peggy who he treated like his grandkids, not a nephew and niece.  4. He was passionate about his work. Not a glamorous job in a high rise office building, but his business, trash hauling. Some people thought he was just a “trash man”, but I remember the respect he received from those in the business world and that was respect was earned. Earned because he thought you should always do a good job and not only empty the boxes and barrels or trash bins, but you should also pick up any thing that spilled on the ground. If the cans or barrels had lids the lid should be on the can or barrel when you leave. If the trash bin had a lid, close it before you leave. He did not give us lectures about doing a good job, but he showed us by being an example for us. He thought everyone should work and when Elton, Ronnie and I got old enough he put us to work. During the school year he always had something for us to do after school and if you did not do what he said, you suffered the consequences. Like the time he told Ronnie and I clean up the back lots and stack those wooden crates. Ronnie and I decided we wanted to go up to the garage, Buster Brown’s place on Fair Park Blvd. When he came home and we were not doing what he said, he took out his pocket knife, cut him a switch, and ask Tom and Elton if they wanted to go with him, which they promptly declined. He walked up to the garage and whipped Ronnie and I all the way home and we still had to clean up the back lots and stack the wooden crates.  5. He was passionate about honesty…no matter what the consequences would be, always tell the truth. His motto in life was “treat people like you would like to be treated”. I learned from him that your don’t have to remember the truth as it is a part of you, but if are deceptive and lie about things you have to remember what you told to whom and eventually those lies will catch up with you.  Epilog:  Today, after 30 years, I still miss him so much and hardly a day goes by that I don’t think of him and Mother. So many memories of growing up in a family where love was abound, a stern and firm hand of discipline was there when necessary, family altar was every morning and every night and sitting around a supper table every night talking over the events of the day, Daddy at the head of the table, Mother to his right, Mary next to Mother, Nettie next to Mary, Carolyn at the end, Ronnie next to her right side, myself next to Ronnie’s right, Elton next to my right just to Daddy’s left and when Pam came along, in a high chair between Mother and Daddy. I cannot imagine growing up in a better environment.  Daddy,  Today we remember you on this the 30 year anniversary of your passing. Thank you for the love, care, guidance, discipline and teaching that you gave us during your short time here on this earth.  You were there for us, through the good times and the bad. You were never judgmental or condemning but always helped us get through the things in our lives.  Thank you for the 2 times that you visited me since your passing…that first time when you were there to tell me NO! And the second time when you said, “Son, very soon you will begin to receive revelations. Believe what you receive and proclaim them.” That has revolutionized my life and ministry. Thanks for the memories you gave us…for that we will always be grateful.  Love Always,  Glenn  Your #3 Son  PS I just received my AARP magazine. It is hard to believe that everyone us, all the brothers and sisters, are over 50 years of age. I remember the day Daddy turned 50. His birthday would be the next day, Sunday, and this was on Saturday the 13th and we were on our way to Morrilton for church and we talked about Daddy being an “antique” at 50 years of age…doesn’t seem so “antique”. Daddy, It has been 42 years since you passed and I still miss you. Glenn September 30, 2016