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Wed, 07 Feb 2018 12:28:29 EST

Marvin Elrod Marker

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Thu, 16 Mar 2017 13:12:21 EDT

Marvin Elrod through the years.

Memorial Candle lit by Lynne Elrod

Wed, 22 Feb 2017 12:51:13 EST

Lynne Elrod

Condolence From Marjorie Berman

Tue, 14 Feb 2017 00:36:30 EST

Marvin was a very special and talented man, extremely skilled in his work for the companies he was employed by. I feel honored that I was his wife and the mother of his children Lynne and Lance. I'm glad he talked with me on his last day in the hospital.

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Sat, 11 Feb 2017 16:46:32 EST

Memory Corner at Dad's Place after the funeral, Feb 6, 2017

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Mon, 06 Feb 2017 20:04:41 EST

Marvin Elrod

Story shared: Eulogy For Marvin Elrod

Mon, 06 Feb 2017 19:02:46 EST

Marvin Rogers Elrod

March 31st, 1934 – January 31st, 2017

A Eulogy

Delivered By Lynne Elrod

February 6th, 2017

Hello everyone. First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who came out here today for my dad. It really means a lot for me to see all of you here today, and I think dad would very much appreciate that as well.

For those who don't know me, my name is Lynne and I am my father's only surviving child. My younger brother Lance passed away 26 years ago and his grave is also here in the cemetery, one plot over from Dad's.

Unlike my brother, whose life was cut short at age 31, my dad lived a full life. Dad made it to 82, actually almost to 83 since his birthday is in March. Unlike so many other seniors, Dad's mind remained sharp to his last day.

The same cannot be said for Dad's body. His ever increasing physical debility severely damaged his quality of life. He had become so frustrated by physical weakness and dysfunction that he said he just wanted out of the situation. He was fed up with the doctor visits and hospitalizations that took up more and more of his time, and which consistently failed to return him to vigorous health.

In death, Dad is released from his frustration and suffering.

For those of us left behind, we are presented with yet another reminder of our own mortality.

I still very clearly remember when my grandfather Elrod died in 1962. I was 3 years old and Dad took me to the viewing. He picked me up so that I could see granddaddy in the casket and he told me to touch him and say goodbye to him. I was horrified and I wouldn't touch granddaddy. This was the first time I was exposed to death. I was a bit traumatized and the notion of death was on my mind for quite some time afterward.

8 years later, in 1970, I woke up to a very disturbing dream. My grandmother Elrod came to me in a dream and she said, "Lynne honey, I just want you to know that I am okay, but I have to go now." In the dream, grandmother Elrod passed through a door that shut behind her and I woke up. I told mom and dad about the dream and they told me not to worry, it was just a dream and it was not real. I was still upset and scared and I couldn't eat my breakfast. Shortly thereafter we received a phone call informing us that grandmother Elrod had been found dead on her front porch that morning. At that news, I was hysterical, crying and upset. I could not understand what had happened to me. My family was not religious, we didn't go to church, and I had no point of reference regarding spiritual matters.

After that experience, I started keeping a dream diary and I read everything I could get my hands on regarding theories about the mind, theories about the afterlife, first person accounts of near death experiences, and a couple of Eastern religious doctrines about the afterlife.

When my brother became terminally ill in 1991, we discussed the various theories of mind and the afterlife and we agreed that after death, if it was possible, he would try to reach my mind while I was asleep so that he could visit me in my dreams. After my brother died, I didn't dream about him for 45 days. I was about to give up, and then I got a long series of visitation dreams. This went on for over a year. This very peculiar experience has convinced me that consciousness really does survive physical death.

More recently, in 2014, anesthesiologist Stuart Hammeroff and Physicist Roger Penrose published their paper, Consciousness In The Universe, where they review the quantum consciousness theory. This theory maintains that consciousness is sub atomic in structure and it leaves a particular area of the brain at death. This theory lends support to the various ancient religious doctrines that make claims about the existence of an afterlife.

In this life, my Dad accomplished quite a bit, especially when you consider his background. Dad was born during the depression, and his own father was an illiterate sharecropper whose life and spirit had been broken by the loss of his farm in a bad co signing deal. Dad never went hungry growing up, but he told me how embarrassed he was that his family was considered poor and looked down upon. He told me about being in school and being ashamed of the patches on his clothes.

Dad was enterprising even as a young boy, and he told me he would catch and dress rabbits for sale. He told me how he would get on the school bus with the dressed rabbits and then get off the bus at the store to sell the rabbits to the store owner. The bus made a loop and came back by the store after picking up other children and dad would get back on the bus and go to school with pocket money from the dressed rabbits he just sold.

Dad was fascinated with science and technology and Dad's high school principal offered to pay to send him to Georgia Tech, but dad was too embarrassed to accept the offer.

After high school dad became a machinist at LeTourneau in Toccoa. In the early 1960's he worked on atomic bombs at Oak Ridge, TN, in the late 1960's he worked for Lockheed on the C-5A military transport plane, and in the 1970's he moved on to the Turbine Division at General Electric in Atlanta. Dad took advantage of his opportunities for advancement at General Electric and he became a field engineer supervising repairs and installations of electric generating turbines in power plants and factories. Dad really enjoyed his work at General Electric, and he briefly came out of retirement to do a few more jobs for the company.

Dad was all about his work and it could be argued that he was not as good at relationships as he was at his job. He was married twice and both relationships failed.

After retirement, dad really enjoyed his farm and his John Deere tractor. He always had a project going and something to do that day. He raised cattle and hunted deer on his farm. He held dove shoots a couple of seasons. He had a vegetable garden every year so he could have fresh food on his plate. He didn't like store bought sausage, so he had his own made and sold some on the side. He also enjoyed reading history books and watching the History Channel, but he was always happiest when he was occupied with something constructive.

It was a sad day for him when he realized he could no longer climb up into the cab of the John Deere. He sold the big John Deere and he told me how much it hurt him to see it leave. He was declining and he knew it. it would be another 4 years of decline before he reached the last stage.

A week ago today, Dad was told of his impending death and I spoke to him the morning before he died. I reminded him to be objective and to forgive himself of any errors he made in his life. I reminded him to move beyond regret and to accept the wisdom he had gained from his time on this earth. Dad was at peace with himself. I said my goodbyes and I asked him to visit me in my dreams. He said he would do that. I am certain that he will.

This body that we occupy does not belong to us, it belongs to the earth.

As we return to the earth that which has been so graciously lent to us, let us all conquer our grief and fear of death with the knowledge that we all continue to exist as a tiny part of the fundamental fabric of the universe.

Again, thank you all for being here today.

If you want to visit and hang out remembering Dad, come on out to Dad's place after you leave here.