Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Dear Marilyn, How fortunate we have felt --- that out of the billions of girls available in this world, to whom God could have extended the privilege of "marrying into the John Milton Family" --- our beloved daughter turned out to be one of the only possible two who could be so blessed! From the very beginning, when your Stephen chose our Lori to be his wife, we could tell by the way that John, you and your entire family embraced our greatest treasure and welcomed her into the "Milton fold", that she was destined to become part of a very special family, and as her loving parents we rejoiced for her. During the Visitation this past Friday, as we scanned through the multitude of pictures that had been selected and arranged in such a caring manner so that friends and acquaintances could view and enjoy, together with your entire family, the most meaningful and precious moments in John's life, we were carrying around with us -- in our hearts and in our minds -- our own extensive gallery of "John Milton Snapshots" that we had captured on the many occasions during which we had the pleasure of being in his company. We know that these snapshots will always remain with us because we've come to learn, over many years, that our fondest memories have a way of clinging and staying with us forever. John was a very special person who was truly "a joy to know", and we will miss him in many, many ways. To name some of the things we'll miss the most: We'll miss being greeted by John --- seeing that big "welcome" smile of his, and receiving his affectionate "welcome" kiss and hug that always warmed our hearts to the core! We'll miss his wonderful facial expressions that never left room for doubt or confusion as to exactly how he was feeling about anything at any given time when we were with him, which we loved for their pure honesty! We'll miss the intensity which was always reflected in his eyes when he was discussing a subject with us that was of particular interest or relevance to him. And last but not least, we will miss his caustic remarks and dry sense of humor which always made us smile, and is still making us smile as we write these words to you! To us, John was the "Ultimate" Family Man, Party Host and Story Teller who brought a spark to every situation. He possessed a passion for life --- for his family, his country, his interests, and his beliefs and opinions, that were mesmerizing and invigorating to witness. Marilyn, knowing your beloved "Johnny" on the intimate basis that we did, brought a tremendous amount of pleasure and enrichment into our lives, and although our last snapshot of him took place at MidState Hospital, this is the snapshot in our gallery which we will treasure the most. For it was only by the grace of God, that in the midst of his failing health, and so close to his passing, we were given such a generous window of opportunity to be with John --- and joke with him --- and listen to his stories one last time before we had to say goodebye to him forever, in this life at least. At this very sad time in all of your lives, our feelings of sympathy, love and compassion run very deep for you and the entire family, and all of you are uppermost in our thoughts and in our prayers, as each new day dawns upon you now. What more can we say except Love, Myrna and Nelson.
