John Knelson's Memorial Service January 27, 2008
Such is the cycle of life that we may rejoice in the birth of our children as my father and mother certainly did with the five of us, however my father was also blessed with the joy of attending the births of so many children in this community and he considered it a privilege to care for them. It was with considerable pride that he recalled during one of our conversations this summer the honor he felt when he more recently cared for many of the children of his earlier patients. As we mourn his passing, my father would want me to remind all of you of the Glory of God and the truly interesting and good life he enjoyed. I have always thought of my father, my Papa, in larger than life, almost mystical terms. Growing up, we five children heard many adventurous stories, a few of which I would like to share.
My grandfather, Henry, called Papa "sonny boy" as a child. Sonny Boy stood out early as a very good student. Once he was marched up from the third grade class to the fifth grade and asked to read aloud standing up on a box as an example of proper and exemplary reading skills. He also grew up pretty tough as he had to then survive the recess period that followed. While Grandpa Henry never made it past the fifth grade, Papa had other plans. He worked hard in restaurants and furniture factories as well as school and his success and interests lead him to study French, of all things. He was selected as a Fulbright scholar and traveled throughout Europe with only a backpack until he got to Paris. At a party he met another Fulbright Scholar and soon he married my mother, Janine and began the adventure of medical school as well as raising a family.
Papa was drawn to pediatrics by a number of factors. Certainly he liked children, but he once told me that the one thing he liked most of all is that they would not lie to him. Papa's pediatrics training was interrupted by the draft and he joined the Army. He thought if he ended up in Vietnam, his best chance of survival was to be with an elite force, so he joined special forces, the Green Beret. I guess sky diving was pretty exciting and he ended up part of an elite group called HALO. These guys would dive out wearing oxygen above anti-aircraft fire and fall as long as 95 seconds from 20,000 feet opening up below radar, typically behind enemy lines. So much for increasing your odds of survival. A skydiving accident put him in a comma for a week just before he was to ship out - perhaps a blessing in disguise. The army offered him an honorable discharge when he awoke and Papa decided to call it even.
My father was lucky enough to enjoy a career in academic medicine when we were growing up in the Triangle. But I really believe that my Papa's happiest time in his life was when he married Brenda and returned to his faith. It was perhaps divine good fortune that I should live two miles from Duke where Papa chose to get his therapy this summer. This allowed me to spend more time with Papa and Brenda in those three months than we had shared probably in 30 years. A bitter sweet blessing, but a gift none the less as our conversations made clear to me the very special love he and Brenda shared for 24 years of marriage, as well as the great affection he had for his family, his friends, his church and his community as a whole.
Thank you Brenda for loving and caring for my Papa so completely. Thanks to all of you for honoring my father and my family by being here today, but mostly thank you for making my Papa's dream of a life well spent a reality.
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