Eulogies

Motor Racing Outreach chaplain Dale Beaver eulogized Dale Earnhardt Sr. at his memorial service at Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, on February 22, 2001. The following is an excerpt of his memorial, found at http://espn.go.com/classic/s/2001/0222/1101866.html.

“David Haney, writing in his book A Living Hope, says that to imagine that there’s no such thing as absolute truth is essentially a corruption of the hope that we have in Christ.

“. . . And the question you and I are asking today is: ‘I want to know if death is the most powerful force in the universe.’ I could tell you, as we read from the beginning, if death is the most powerful force in the universe and there are no absolutes for you and me to anchor our faith in, then we are in trouble. We are in deathly grave trouble.

“But Jesus comes along and . . . says, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me even though they die yet shall they live.’ Do you hear those words? Will you let that sink in today? Because if that is an absolute truth which standards flow from, then you and I have hope!”

Waking Ned Devine – 1998 Movie

            In the remote Irish village of Tullymore, someone has struck it rich, winning several million in the National Lottery. Since it is a close-knit, traditional Irish village, everyone knows everyone else's business, yet it remains mystery who might have won. Clever Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) tries to find the winner through a process of deduction, analyzing everyone's behavior and hosting a fancy chicken dinner for potential winners (so as to curry favor and perhaps receive a bit of the winnings himself). Finally, it becomes clear that only Ned Devine, an elderly retiree who lives alone, could have won the prize. Jackie and his friend Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly) call on Ned, only to find the poor man stone dead, clutching the Lottery ticket in his hand, and with a smile on his lips. The shock of winning killed him!

            The scheming Jackie tries to figure out a way to cash the ticket, but has a dream in which Ned Devine prompts him to share the money with the impoverished village. So he concocts a crazy scheme: his friend Michael will pose as Ned when a representative from the Lottery commission (Adrian Robinson) comes to verify the winner. In a series of humorous events, the entire village (save one) convince the Lotto observer that Michael is legitimately Ned Devine, and even devise an offshore banking scheme to cash the check.

            The town begins celebrating, when the old "witch" Lizzie Quinn (Eileen Dromey) threatens to turn them in for a fraud reward. She even attempts to reach the only working phone in the area (a telephone box along a winding coastal road). Her motorized wheelchair runs out of juice, so she staggers to the phone booth. As she tries to complete the call to betray them all, the phone box is struck by the Parish Priest in his van, and Quinn plunges to her death.

            Thus, everyone in Tullymore becomes a millionaire, and all the loose ends are tied-up.

Ned’s funeral (1:15:51 or 1:17:19 to 1:19:06) is a fine eulogy.

Jackie O'Shea: Michael O'Sullivan was my great friend. But I don't ever remember telling him that. The words that are spoken at a funeral are spoken too late for the man who is dead. What a wonderful thing it would be to visit your own funeral. To sit at the front and hear what was said, maybe say a few things yourself. Michael and I grew old together. But at times, when we laughed, we grew young. If he was here now, if he could hear what I say, I'd congratulate him on being a great man, and thank him for being a friend.