A Great Tree Has Fallen

A wonderful man, the patriarch of a proud family, the kindly grandfather and great grandfather to many children has left us. Joseph DiPietro died this week, and the world is less because of his leaving. He was a man of principle and integrity, a leader in his career, a supportive member of his church, and he was active in service to his community. He was also my father-in-law. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

In Southeastern Alaska, where my wife Diane and I once ministered, the Tlingit leaders had a saying for when a leader had passed on the glory. "A great tree has fallen, and the forest is crying." Joseph DiPietro was a great tree in our midst. He touched the hearts of his family and he made a strong, positive mark in this world.

Joe, as friends called him, served his country honorably as a soldier in World War II, and then continued to serve the nation and fellow soldiers in a distinguished career as an administrator of Veteran's Administration hospitals. He supervised the start-up of a number of key hospital facilities and had a key role in shaping the agency that has helped millions of veterans with their health concerns. He helped this nation keep its commitment to its troops, and the nation is better because of his careful leadership.

Joe was a no-nonsense leader -- he could cut through situations like a knife through butter to get to the root of a problem. Then he worked with his team to find the solution to the problem and implement that solution. The country could us more of his problem solving, pragmatic leadership today.

Joe lived a remarkable, abundant life. He was 95 years old when he died, but it still came as somewhat of a surprise. He had been so strong, so vibrant, so active for so long, that many in his family suspected he might outlive us all. But the time came for even Joe to go home to be with the Lord, and in his typical way, Joe exited the stage with little fanfare. He became ill and in a short time he was gone. But he lives here in the hearts of a large great family, his dear wife Elizabeth, and the dear memories of them and his many friends.

Joe would not want us to focus on his death, which for such a committed Christian as he was and is, is just a transition, a spiritual passage to a better realm. No, his legacy is how lived -- how he did live his life to its fullness.