| Aantekeningen |
- woont in Parsippany, New Jersey
Geboren:
Beroep:
- Worked for St. Clares Hospital Denville, NJ for 11 year
- Was City of Streator, Illinois Treasurer for 6 years
- Worked for Union Carbide Corp for 37 years
Overleden:
- Parsippany at St. Peter the Apostle church
If you were a parishioner of this Parish, you might have known Francis Einhaus by his pet name: Pope Francis.
It's not that deep of a nickname. Francis Einhaus happened to have the same name as our 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, so ergo, he became ?Pope Francis.? As most - if not all - of you know, Francis was no stranger to nicknames and titles. For us, he was ?Dad,? or ?Grandpa.? ?Uncle,? or ?Brother.? Perhaps most famously, he was ?Dugan.? Nary a family gathering could go without a couple ?Dugans!? being shouted by his loving wife or his affectionate family members. For many of us, Francis' titles and nicknames were a source of laughs and joy, and we'll carry those memories with us for the rest of our days. Yet for Francis himself, these titles meant something more to him.
If you needed anything at all in this family, Francis wanted to help. If you had a big expense coming up, he'd ask you if you needed any money. If you were tired, he'd ask if you'd like to sleep at the house. If you were in distress, he'd say ?What can I do?? These qualities were so embedded in Francis that, even as his memories faded away while he battled against Alzheimer's disease, he would ask these questions over and over again. It wasn't just us who called Francis ?Dad? or ?Grandpa.? It was he himself who took these titles seriously, continually committing these words to his heart until he completely embodied them. Even as Francis couldn't even remember how to move his own feet to get from the car to inside his house, even as he struggled to speak a single coherent word, he never forgot who he was. His mind could let anything else go. But he refused to give up being ?Dad.?
It may sound like Francis was a larger-than-life character because of this. And in some ways, he was. Ask any of the kids or grandkids about the sheer mythology the name ?Dugan? conjures up, and you'll hear no shortage of colorful, possibly entirely fictitious stories. And as much as Francis lived up to those lofty, essential titles of ?Dad? and ?Grandpa,? I've realized in these past 6 years that this man was not, in fact, a ?character.? As much as he loved and provided for us, he was still as much a human being as you and I are. Sometimes I think about Francis the little boy, years before he became ?Dad,? ?Grandpa,? or even ?Dugan.?
What hopes and dreams did young Francis have in his mind? Even as a young child, Francis had the enormous burden of caring for his younger brothers and his single mother. But truthfully, ?burden? isn't the right word here. Francis loved his mother, and he loved his brothers. He was a man who expressed love through helping those around him. But we know that no man or boy can be completely selfless. You can't live a life with a heart so big without earning scars along the way.
As many of you here still vividly remember, Francis lost his brother and his best friend 12 years ago. The only man who could rival Francis's heart and generosity was taken from him as suddenly as Francis was taken from us. Caring for others was no burden for Francis. But this, my friends, is what Francis would call a ?burden.? Francis was so good at being a ?Dad? or ?Grandpa? that it's easy to forget the pains he silently carried behind his smile. That he suffered, sacrificed, but was never consumed by the darkness. He carried on, fighting his own hurts, fighting his own tragedies and heartbreaks. Being a great ?Dad? or ?Grandpa? was so important to him that he was willing to die inside over and over again if it meant keeping those around him alive. He was not special because he was a character he could always count on. He was special because he was a real human being that was so driven to do right by his family, his friends, and his loved ones that we now remember him as our own ?Pope Francis.?
And now, he is at rest. For the first time in 12 years, he is walking towards his brother. His mother. All those who have been taken from him. As empty as our hearts feel now knowing he's gone, he has begun his journey towards eternal rest befitting a man who gave his life to us.
If Francis could speak with us today, he would want you to hold your title for him dear to your heart. ?Dad,? ?Grandpa,? and yes, even ?Dugan.? But as someone who has walked beside Francis for the past six years, both literally and metaphorically, I ask that you remember him as a man. A man who emulated God's graces and loves through actions, sacrifice, and countless heartbreak. He gave his all for us. He didn't have to, but he did. And his name was Francis Einhaus.
written by Timothy Monbleau, grandson
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1928 - 2021 (93 jaar)
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