Another funeral

I went to the funeral today of the man I mentioned early this week. I have been to too many this year. And some died too young, in my estimation.
The man who died ,' Chip', worked for the county as a demographer - studying the population of the area in relation to size, density, distribution and vital statistics. He also used his info in working with the transit system.
I had only known him from church. We were in a group called Hopekeepers for people with chronic illness. At the time his wife was dealing with breast cancer returned in the bones in her back. She died just two years ago. But during that time in the group, I got to know Chip and see how much he loved his wife and tenderly cared for her in her last days. It was a safe place for us all to be with people who understood about having an illness we would not recover from.
Today I learned more about Chip. His boss spoke about his work ethic and his love for maps. In fact, that love of maps came up over and over again. He had traveled to most of the US states and had taken his family to several countries to encourage missionaries they had prayed for.
Another fact amazed me. He had memorized Psalm 119 which has 176 verses, the longest in the Bible! He saw it as yet another road map, this one for his spiritual life as each verse talks about God's word.
I came away feeling glad I had known this gentle man, even as I grieved for his son who is now without either parent. David was dearly loved by both of his parents and he admired and loved them in return. We have yet to see what God will do with this young man's life. But God says he has a plan to give him a future and hope.