Richard Lee Myers

Richard Lee Myers
June 9, 1943 - April 22, 2020

When my dad was just a boy, he made a date, then went about life making sure he kept that date.

Not only did he love and serve his wife, 5 kids, their spouses, 11 grands, and 11 great-grands, and many, many foster children, he served as pastor, for 21 years, 1964-1985. He, and mom, were there for the weddings, births, troubles, sicknesses, and deaths, any time, any day.

Both Dad and Mom held other jobs, as well as raising a family and pastoring a church. Many times, though, they struggled to pay their own bills or feed their own kids. But they both continued to plan for that date.

Our dad had many talents ... some a bit strange:

He couldn't read a note but played any instrument he touched! I'll never forget the high school graduation we attended, where a harpist played so beautifully! My dad almost bounced in his seat watching her play! Afterwards, he made his way to the floor and asked if he could try it out. She allowed it. He ran his fingers across the strings a few times, then, he just started playing it as if he had been his whole life! (This is more amazing, if you know, as a young man, he shot off the fingers of his left hand. They reattached, but the fingers didn't move as nimbly as they should.) He played the spoons, crystal glasses with water, anyway he could make music, he did.

He had a talent for jokes ... pranks. I've shared a few videos of me tickling his ear, while he slept, making him slap himself. Some have seen that as disrespectful, but my dad was proud of me for "getting" him! He loved a good joke! One Christmas, he fell asleep (not uncommon). While he was asleep, my brothers used a marker to draw a face on his bald head. Daddy attended church that night, not knowing he had eyes in the back of his head! I know there are so many stories, from all his kids! I hope they are shared here!

I wasn't very old when my dad had all of his teeth pulled. Having no teeth meant he could make the funniest faces! Making people laugh AND cringe was even better fun for him than a great joke! Having false teeth created even more entertainment for him and the littles. He'd have them wind up his ear, then click his bottom teeth until his ear unwound. Of course, having false teeth wasn't all fun and games (for HIM)! It wasn't uncommon for him to be preaching in his Pentecostal preacher voice, really into the message, when his teeth would come flying out! But, remember, I said my dad had talents! One of those talents is catching those teeth before they flew too far, popping them back in his mouth and, without missing a beat, continue to preach! Of course, he wasn't so lucky every time! There was the day he felt a cough coming on, while praying for someone. He turned his head towards the baby grand piano. His teeth came flying out, flew across the piano, towards Cameron, the pianist. (Poor guy probably still has nightmares about teeth flying at him!) Missed him and flew to the floor. Daddy dove under the piano, backside in the air, searching for those teeth!

Those who only know the older version of my dad will struggle believing this, but it's true! One of our dad's favorite things was riding a bicycle backwards. I believe he used this talent to raise money for Sheaves for Christ, a youth ministry. He'd sit on the handlebars and peddle backwards. He did this for 5 miles, without stopping.

Our dad was also a barber. He worked many years, along with his dad, brother, and nephew, at the Myers barbershop, 1965-2006.

My older sibs and I married and moved out. Mom and Dad started looking for new ways to serve. They moved to Tupelo, Mississippi, to the Tupelo Children's Mansion. They became house parents over the girls dorm. There was always 15 girls, August 1992-May 1997. I hope many of our sisters share their stories here.

As Dad got older, those fingers he shot off, as a young man, got stiffer, harder to bend. One of the things we teased him about was that middle finger. It wouldn't bend at all! My dad would never use foul language or gestures, so it was a bit more amusing to us.

Daddy wasn't one to sit still for long. He worked at Audubon Hospital, as security, until March 18, 2020. He became ill that night. He later tested positive for the evil virus, COVID-19. He fought hard. His human self didn't want to stop being here for his wife, kids, grands, and great-grands. But in his youth, he had made a date. He lived his whole life getting ready for that date. His spirit longed to see the One that loves him more than we could ever love. His soul was tired of the confinements of old age. In Heaven, there is no pain. There's no sorrow. No fear. No sadness. In Heaven there is healing. There is joy. There is peace. Regardless of this battle, my dad won the war!

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