Aaron Thomas's Words

Just quickly, cause I think there are some things to be said, and it might be inappropriate if anyone else said it.

Our family can’t thank you enough, for what you’ve done, for your support, for the people you’ve become through my father. My challenge now to you, and my dad was terrible when he’d lose. I don’t know how my mom dealt with him. But my mom got him going again. Come Sunday, he’d meet with the coaches again, he’s ready to go again. The players all knew Monday was going to be terrible, but it was part of getting back up, getting going.

And I tell you this. We’ve stuck with this longer than I know he’d have liked. There’s no way he’d have wanted this to drag out five days, and there’s no way, he’d have waited four hours for anybody. But I’m going to tell you this, and I’m going to challenge you with this. You can be sad the rest of the day, but come tomorrow, once you wake up, it’s time to get going.

And the way my dad’s memory’s going to live, and the way we make up for him – there’s not one of us here who can make up for what my dad did. There’s not one of us here who can be Ed Thomas, but this can be a better place than it was with Ed Thomas, but for that to happen, it’s gotta come from each one of you.

I don’t care what your job is, and one thing I’ll never forget of my father – no job is too small. No job is too small. I don’t care what you do, what you make. When you step up and you go to work, come tomorrow, you give it everything you got. And if work starts at eight, make sure you’re there at 7:57. You’re not rolling in late. And if you work till 4, you work till 4:05. Don’t shortchange anyone, don’t shortchange yourself.

He talked a lot about character. Character is you doing what’s right when no is looking and no one will know. My father was a great man of character, that’s something I’ve taken from him. But come tomorrow, it’s time we all get going. 

There’s a lot of work to be done in this town. My dad was here for a reason, he wasn’t taken before the tornado. He got us close. I think now it’s a challenge to all of us. Can we finish this town to where it’s supposed to be? Can you make the difference with the young people if you’re an educator? Can you step up and carry the torch. If you’re a church member, can you step up? Lead that Sunday School class. Work with the young people in youth group. If you’re not in a church, can you step up and find one? That’s what he’d want.

My father would be so proud to see this church full. Not because of these circumstances, but the fact that Kelly shared the message of how you can be saved and know where you’re going. Unbelievable platform.

I know there are people in here who have never heard the Gospel. I don’t think that’s the ultimate reason for my dad’s death, but it’ll play a part. So as a community – when I say community, whether you be from Parkersburg, from A-P, from the state of Iowa or anywhere else, if you truly honor and care about my father, come tomorrow you will pick yourself up, get going and do what you’re supposed to do. 

If you want to honor my family and my father, and it won’t be just this week. Can you sustain it? He did it for 33 years here. Can you sustain it, day in and day out, doing what’s right, making people better, taking care of each other. If you can do that, my father will live for a really long time through all of this. If you can’t, that’s when it’s a tragedy, and that’s when it’s a shame.

My father died for his faith, I firmly believe that.

And this includes me. I need to step up. I know I need to step up. I need to be much more active in my church. But I’m challenging you all. Today we can be sad. Come tomorrow, it’s time we all get going. And like Kelly said, if you don’t know you’re saved, you make sure one of us, you see a deacon, you see Kelly himself.

The last thing I’m going to say. My family, I know we will miss someone in the thank yous. We cannot thank you enough. We cannot thank you enough for waiting in line. 

You don’t know what that meant to us, and also what that would have meant to my dad. I know he had no idea the number of people he influenced. I know that. But it’s appreciated. You are all appreciated. He was important to each and every one of you. And as he’d say, it’s time we get up and get ourselves going. Cause the true test of character is how do we respond to adversity?

This is adversity. This is adversity.

Now, my challenge to you: how you going to respond, what are you going to do tomorrow? God Bless you all, and we thank you so much for coming and for loving our father.