In the past few weeks, I've had to dig deep. My father left this world and I found solace in expressing my feeling with words. I'm proud to be my fathers daughter and it was a profound honor to write both his obituary and a eulogy.
The Eulogy
My dad was many things. He was a husband, father, uncle, grandfather and a friend. He was a veteran, a Boy Scout leader, a mechanic, a coal miner, a truck driver, a farmer, a fixer of things, a teacher of lessons and a teller of stories.
He was a straightforward person. For him there wasn’t much gray in the world, things were simply black or white, right or wrong; It’s just the way he saw the world. It’s how we were raised. The moral compass he instilled has served me well.
He had a limited tolerance for nonsense, except for the occasional acetylene bomb. He had a few basic rules we were expected to follow.
1. Do as you’re told.
2. Put tools away where they belong.
3. Don’t cry unless you’re bleeding. If you were bleeding much, it was best to head straight to the house to Mom, because there was a decent chance he would pass out in the sight of significant blood flow.
I’m very grateful that my dad taught me self-reliance. By the time I left home, he made sure I could change a tire, and the oil in my car. He ensured that I had at least a basic understanding of auto mechanics. For my college graduation, he gave me a full set of 3/8ths and quarter inch sockets and corresponding ratchets. He told me that there might be a time when my eye lashes or credit card couldn’t fix my problems, so he wanted me to be prepared. I will never forget the advice he gave me on a regular basis when I was in college – It was “Don’t kiss any ugly ones”. Let’s face it – Those are words to live by.
My dad could fix anything from a bulldozer to a bicycle. Having him as a dad, led me to believe that all men came with roll away-tool boxes and the knowledge of how to use the contents. I was very disappointed when I went out into the world and realized that most men did not meet his standard.
Beneath his gruff exterior, Dad was a patient man and didn’t shout all that often. When he did, the rant often started with the words “Buy them, and buy them book and what do they do, but eat the covers.” The worst punishment we generally received from him was banishment from his garage.
My career and life choices took me far away from Central Illinois and the miles meant I spent less and less time here. I came home for a visit before moving to Australia and when I was ready to leave, Dad took me to the airport. I told him I was sorry for not being around more. In his infinite Rog wisdom, he said “Girl, don’t worry about the people here, we aint goin nowhere. You just go live your life and send me a post card every once in a while.”
The last postcard I sent him was just after Christmas. In the last conversation we had, he made sure to tell me he gotten the card. He ended our call by saying, “One of these days you’re gonna get a call saying it’s all over, and it’s all gonna be okay.”
As usual, he was right. I got the call just a few days later. Now, I just need a find a way to make it “all okay” without him around. It’s going to take a while.
Obituary of Roger L. Waggoner
Roger Lyle Waggoner (aged 85) passed on January 24, 2025, in Canton, Illinois. He was born July 27, 1939, in Peoria County, IL, to Donald “Skelly” Waggoner and Irene (Shaw) Leng.
Roger grew up in rural Williamsfield, IL, and graduated from Williamsfield High School in 1957. He married Jackie Braden on February 21, 1963. He served in the Illinois Air National Guard for 17 years, and 4 years in the United States Air Force. After leaving the Air Force in 1966, Roger and Jackie returned to Illinois to raise their growing family on a small farm north of Williamsfield. He worked for Midland Coal Company’s Mecco Mine in Victoria until it closed. He worked in various mechanical and truck driving jobs until he retired.
Roger was a man without pretense whose word was his bond. He served as a Boy Scout leader for many years and was a role model for a variety of young people. The garage on his farm was often filled with young men who wanted help repairing cars. Just like he did for his children, he didn’t do the work for them. He instead taught them how to do it themselves and sent them away with knowledge and skills for “next time.”
Roger was an avid reader and a history buff. His family can attest to his love of western novels and historical non-fiction. In the last week of his life, knowing his heart was failing, he went to the library and checked out several books, telling the librarian that he wanted to have enough books to get him through till the end.
He loved to tell stories about the adventures he’d had and the colorful people he’d known throughout his life. Roger was best known in the Williamsfield community for having hosted the American Legion Fish Fry for many years. A generation of local kids grew up picking Buckeyes in Waggoner’s pasture during the annual event.
(for the sake of my families privacy, I am not sharing the names of those preceding him in death and those surviving him.)
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