Recently, our dear friend and colleague, Jasper Gibbs came to the completion of his earthly journey.  Frank Barron was asked to give a reflection at his Celebration of Life service.  Lindsey's is forever grateful for Jasper's service and friendship!

Jasper      4/15/2023

I am both humbled and honored to be here today.  With Jasper in mind, I would like to start by quoting Numbers 22:1 where it says "A Good Name is to be chosen rather than Great Riches".

What can you say about our dear friend Jasper?  A better question might be, what can you not say about Jasper?  He was bigger than life and such a great man in so many ways.

I looked up the word "Jasper" to see what it meant.  Webster said it meant "a hard coating that protects fine porcelain".  All these years and I never knew what "Jasper" meant.  I think he was aply and rightly named. That is what he did his whole life.  Looked after others and loved and protected those who needed it.

Jasper Gibbs was also a man everybody knew by just his first name.  Whenever anybody said "Jasper", you knew who they were talking about.  Just like Labron, Rhianna, Cher, Oprah, Elvis or Beyonce, you didn't have to ever say his last name. His first name was enough to identify him.  It was an easy name to remember because most of us didn't know another one like him.

From humble beginnings, Jasper rose to be a man respected and loved by all who knew him.  One of my favorite stories about Jasper was from the first time that my father met him.  Jasper's father had left him and his mother and brothers and sisters when Jasper was 13 years old.  Since Jasper was the oldest son, he felt it was his responsibility to go find a job to support the family and again to protect and provide.  He happened to come to Lindsey's Electrical and Plumbing business asking for a job.  My daddy said he asked him "what can you do"?   He replied, "I can do anything that you tell me to do".  My daddy loved that answer.  Even though he had no experience, and he was only 13 years old, he hired him on the spot. That was one of the best decisions my daddy ever made.  It had to be God inspired. For the next 65 years, Jasper lived up to this promise and was a valuable part of the Lindsey's team for 65 years before he retired. He so endeared himself that he literally became part of the family with keys to all of our homes and all of our other properties. With little education, Jasper went on to self-educate himself first as a porter, a gopher and a helper to Lindsey's Electricians and Plumbers.  He soon mastered these trades and over the years also self-educated himself on heating and air as well as carpentry, painting, sign erections and any other job Jasper was asked to do just as he said he would do. Along the way, he learned how to drive a tractor, rake and bale, stack and deliver hay, plow and lots of other farm chores.  Always with a smile and a great attitude no matter what the task. His enthusiasm and work ethic were contagious.  Chip and I and most of our children, ended up working for Jasper as their first job.  Each has their own "Jasper" stories and each one learned a lot about work and life from Jasper.

Jasper always had a good sense of humor and enjoyed a really good laugh.  When he had a really good laugh, a belly roll laugh, he would stick his tongue out while laughing.  I am here to tell you that Michael Jordan didn't have anything on Jasper when it came to sticking his tongue out. Jasper loved to match wits with all of us.  I remember that he and our longtime sales manager, Marvin Atchison, had lots of interesting and interactive conversations, especially about work at Winthrop Apartments.  One day I overheard Mr. Marvin scolding Jasper about not getting some work done on time.  Mr. Marvin said "Jasper, you are just wasting too much time.  After Jasper calmly explained all the hours he had spent on the job, Mr. Marvin said, "I think you are just sleeping too much". Jasper said, "Mr. Marvin, I go to bed at 12:30 and wake up at 5:30 each day".  Mr. Marvin quietly fired back "that's what I am talking about.  You are wasting those 5 hours every day."  It suddenly dawned on all of us what he had just said, and we all had a good laugh.

Jasper and I could also get in some messes.  I remember when I first came back from college and Jasper and crew were remodeling my house on Willow Drive.  Jasper had done a great job sanding and refinishing the floors, putting down new carpet and linoleum, putting in new cabinets, painting, wallpapering, redoing the electrical and plumbing, etc.  Then it came time to turn on the water.  Suddenly, water was running down the hall from the back bathroom. Water was going everywhere. Lots of water!   When I went down the hall to see what the problem was, I came upon Jasper working feverishly to put the p-trap on that he had forgotten to put on. Just as I reached him and before I could say a word, he looked up at me sheepishly with a grin and said, "it is a good thing, I am among friends".  He totally disarmed me and again we had a good laugh.  He quickly cleaned up the water with little or no harm done.

Jasper also had a way of staying calm, no matter what happened.  On another occasion, our sink got stopped up and Jasper was at the house trying to get it unstopped.  He tried plunging and then all types of liquid plumber that he could find.  He finally tried some combination of liquid fire and King of All. Suddenly, there was a lot of smoke and bubbling sounds coming from the sink and then a loud boom!  My wife went running into the kitchen and said "Jasper, what in the world happened?"  Jasper calmly replied, "Miss Ruth, what we have had here was a chemical reaction.  I think the sink the sink may be unstopped now."  And sure enough, it was.

Jasper was also a peacemaker.  Many times, I saw him let the other person have his way, even if he thought they were wrong, as he said "just to keep the peace".  He knew a lot about forgiveness, patience and kindness.  He also mastered that along the way.

Jasper was also a philosopher.  He often gave wise advice from his own life experiences of how to handle a situation based on biblical principles and his own life experiences.  He often gave me good advice when I need it during my divorce and upon the death of my parents.  After my father died, I found a Father's Day card that I had already filled out and signed.   When Father's Day rolled around, I had no one to give it to, so I gave it to Jasper.

Jasper was a good father, husband and brother and loved his family and especially his wife and children and grandchildren.  All his life, he worked hard to support you and sacrificed for each of you hoping to give you the opportunities he never had.  Jasper proved his love to Juanita by looking after her himself when she was struck with Alzheimers.  When I asked how he did it, he told me, "she is the love of my life.  I want to do it."  That has helped me in so many ways, especially now.

I could go on and on with stories about Jasper, but want you to know that Jasper was always more like an older brother to me than an employee.  We made a great team for years. I carried him fish, doves, ducks, turkey and deer and he returned the favor by cleaning them, cooking them and bringing me a sample of each one.  My wife simply would not cook them so that was the only way I could enjoy my harvest.  I miss those days!

I remember the other occasions that showed Jasper's character and love for his fellowman.  One Memorial Day weekend, we had 958 bales of hay on the ground and rain was on the way.  Everybody went out of town or had other excuses as to why they could not help me get up the hay. The temperature was in the 90's all weekend but again rain was on the way Monday night. With no help, I began the task of getting up the hay by myself. The first two days were not so bad, and I had over 700 bales stacked in the barn. But by the third day, I was totally whipped and about to quit.  Jasper was too old to help much then, but around 4:00 he came to check on me.  "Come on, I'll drive and help with what I can". With renewed enthusiasm and him driving, we got the last 200 or so bales put up and beat the rain.

Another time, I was trying to get the fall food plots planted before the rain by myself.  Around 3:00, Jasper called and asked what I was doing.  I told him what I was doing, and he said "how can I help?" Having not slowed down for lunch and no time to leave and get some lunch due to the approaching rain, I said "I sure would like a barbeque sandwich from Sprayberry's and a large sweet tea with lemon".  Without saying a word, about 30 minutes later, here he came in his truck across the field with that sandwich and tea.  With that help, and his encouragement, I managed to finish right at dark as the first rain drops began to fall.

After retirement from Lindsey's, he quickly got bored just sitting around and asked me if he could come work for me on the farm. I gladly took him on.  It was a pleasure to have him around to oversee and look after everything for me. He did a great job for many years until age and poor health, he understandably started to slow down.  He finally came to me and said to me, "Frank, I am not able to do much anymore, but wanted you to know that you are paying me for my mind now and not my body and I think it may be time for me to retire again".  After thinking about it for a little while I said, "Jasper, you know that explains a lot".  He asked, "What do you mean?"  I said, "I guess that is why I keep feeling like I am overpaying".  He looked at me and I looked at him and we both had another good long laugh, and parted our business association as lifelong friends who knew we could still count on each other if needed.

Jasper was always quick on his feet with an answer for anything. Whenever I got onto him about anything, Jasper always had a ready answer and an explanation.  So one day, I asked him how he always had an answer.  To my surprise he said, "Frank, I know before you say anything what I didn't finish or didn't do exactly right so I know what you are going to get on me about so, I have been thinking about what to say even before you ask".  You couldn't get ahead of Jasper.

Jasper was a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a great-grandfather, an uncle and cousin.  He was a provider, protector, a co-worker, a businessman, a Christian, a Preacher, a Jack of all Trades and a friend to so many you here today.  He was self-educated, a philosopher and the best friend any man could ever have.

Jasper and I often had similar tastes in trucks and cars. I sold him several of my used trucks. Then came my pewter color Jeep Grand Cherokee a few years ago.  Somehow it never looked dirty and always looked good!  In fact, Stanley Herring told me that people stopped to ask him if they could buy it every time he washed it.  Jasper had always admired it and often told me that he wanted to buy it when I got ready to sell it.  I told him that I would keep that in mind.  From time to time, when I was in it, Jasper would remark, "that sure is a good looking Jeep".  I'd agree and we'd laugh about it. Finally, when I had driven it for about 300,000 miles and it still ran like a top with no trouble and was still looking like new. I went to a dealer and found out that they were willing to give me a $5,000 it trade allowance on it. I told Jasper about it and Jasper said, "Would you sell it to me for that"?  I thought about it and said, "no Jasper, I am going to give it to you for all the things you have done for me over the years that you came when I called and no one else would or that I may or may not have repaid you for".  Tears came into his eyes and he said, "Frank, I have often wondered if you loved me.  Now, I know".  Jasper, I have always known that you loved me by your actions, but now I know how much you meant to me and how much I am going to miss you.  I am sure that many of you feel the same way.  Let's each keep his memory and example close to our hearts as we move forward by striving to be a little kinder, to be more forgiving and try to make a better world by our being better men, women and children. 

Paul said in Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the race. I have kept the faith".  To that I say, well done Jasper Gibbs, well done, my friend and my brother.