Death, Taxes, and Other Sure Things

I recently gave a talk in church. The occasion, in case you hadn't guessed from my recent posts, was Dad's funeral. Here is what I spoke about:

There is an old saying that the only sureties in life are death and taxes. Well, Dad passed away April 15.

Dad had a great sense of humor. But in all seriousness, and in the few minutes I have today, I'd like to talk about some of the most important things he gave me (besides nearsightedness and the bald spot):

1) Time. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught: "In family relationships, love is really spelled T-I-M-E." Dad gave us his time, and he was thoroughly invested in our lives. Whether it was yelling from the sidelines as a coach or just an anxious parent, he was there at our basketball and soccer games and hardly ever missed one. He supported us in our hobbies and interests. We knew he cared, and his love language was the time he gave.

2) Work. Dad taught us to work. The plowboy who grew up on a farm in Smithfield and learned the value of an honest day's labor taught his children that you don't get something for nothing and you have to work for it. We were given an allowance, but we had to do our chores (weeding, mowing the lawn, etc.) to earn it. For years, we had a paper route, waking up at 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. even on school days and holidays, and he worked right alongside us, never taking a cent for himself. Those lessons carried me through part-time jobs in high school and college and into the present.

3) He taught me five simple words that stand out: excuse me, please, and thank you. I vividly remember him teaching me to use these words when I was growing up. Good manners were and are important. Knowing and using these words have helped me open countless doors in my daily interactions with people and my work experience.

Though Dad passed on a Saturday night, as a family we left the hospital when it was already Sunday morning. Easter Sunday! The timing of it all, we think, was not a coincidence. And the most important message in the world is still, as the Prophet Joseph Smith described, that Jesus Christ "died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it."

In a world rife with "fake news," rumors of wars, fads that come and go, the philosophies of men, and other false Christs the prophets saw would be abundant in our day, my knowledge of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is, in addition to death and taxes, the third sure thing in my life; and not only do I believe it, but I also know it through the Holy Spirit.

In the New Testament, Paul said that "this thing (the gospel) was not done in a corner" (Acts 26:26), and Peter spoke of the world's "cunningly devised fables" (2 Peter 1:16). Elder Jeffrey R. Holland recently spoke on "cunningly devised fables" in his Face 2 Face event:

"This is not a cunningly devised fable. This is God's truth. I want all of you here and afar to know that I know that this is the work and kingdom of God on earth. I am more certain of that than anything I know, anything I have seen, anything I have ever heard, and anything I hope to embrace in the future."

Today, I echo what he taught. When we talk of the concepts of resurrection and eternal families, not only are these good or neat ideas; I testify that they are true! And that knowledge carries me at this time and will carry me in future days.

In an all-wise, all-loving Heavenly Father's magnificent plan, there is so much more in store for us than wearing halos and playing harps in heaven! He has so much more in store for us, and it is beautiful and wonderful to think of. Death is a necessary part of that plan. Though we mourn today, we also rejoice.

Paul said: "For now we see through a glass, darkly" (1 Corinthians 13:12). I know that Dad now sees clearly. I take great hope in the knowledge that he is reunited with his parents, my Uncle Dexter, and other loved ones who have gone on before.

Dad was sick for a long time. Some of his thorns in the flesh he carried for all of his life on Earth. He is now free of them. I don't know why Dad had to suffer through those nor the illness that ultimately claimed his mortal life. (How can any of us know for sure why these things happen while "we see through a glass, darkly"?)

Neverthless, like Nephi, though "I do not know the meaning of all things," "I know that he (God) loveth his children." I know that (1) our Heavenly Father loved Dad and (2) Dad loved his children and his grandchildren.

I testify of the importance of the gift of the Holy Ghost. His presence has been so important to me over the past week. When we got the call that Dad had been taken to the hospital, I felt urgency to get there, and yet I also felt peace. I feel at peace today. The Spirit, also known as the Comforter, has comforted when I have been sad, and He has given me also joy in the knowledge of these things, of which I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Dad's Eulogy

Lowell Brent Plowman passed away Saturday, April 15, 2017, at Lakeview Hospital in Bountiful, Utah, from the effects of a prolonged illness. He was 73 years old.

Brent was born June 12, 1943, in Logan, Utah, the second of two children of Lowell Thomas and Bernice Nelson Plowman. Brent, a Cache Valley boy to the end, grew up working on the family farm, where he learned the values of responsibility and hard work. Throughout his life, he remained deeply grateful for and mindful of his LDS pioneer ancestry, including his great-grandfather John Jacob Plowman and his grandfather Christian Jorgensen Plowman, who crossed the plains to Utah by handcart after emigrating from Denmark in the 1860s; they eventually settled in Mantua ("Little Copenhagen") and then permanently in Smithfield.

As a youth, Brent was active in the Boy Scouts and attained the rank of Eagle. Especially memorable for him was the opportunity to travel to New York on a Scout Jamboree, where he visited the Sacred Grove in Palmyra and also saw Jackie Robinson play baseball at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. At North Cache High School in Smithfield, Brent excelled in his studies and played defensive end on the football team, earning All-Region honors and a scholarship to play football at Brigham Young University. A knee injury, however, ended those plans. Nevertheless, sports played an important part for the remainder of his life, and he often could be seen coaching his sons' basketball and soccer teams in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1961, Brent graduated from North Cache High School and then continued his studies at Utah State University in Logan, Utah.

In 1962, Brent accepted a calling to serve as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Northeast British Mission. He loved the British people and for many years after his service spoke with fondness of the many experiences he had across the pond. He also took the opportunity to take his family to England on multiple occasions to see those people and places as well as his British family members.

Upon his return home in 1964, "Wally" resumed his studies at Utah State University, where he enjoyed the social life and became active in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He graduated with an MBA in 1968. Shortly thereafter, he accepted a position in the Finance Department of the Ford Motor Company at their Dearborn, Michigan, plant.

Through mutual friends, Brent was reintroduced to Kathleen Attey, whom he had met briefly as a missionary years previously in England, while he was on a visit back home to Utah. After their courtship, they were sealed for time and all eternity in the Logan Utah LDS temple June 11, 1971. After brief stays in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and Scottsbluff, Nebraska, Brent and Kathy raised their family and resided in Bountiful, Utah, for the majority of their life together.

The bulk of Brent's professional experiences were spent in various assignments for the LDS Church, giving him the opportunity to travel across the globe, including North and South America, Europe, and East Asia. A two-and-a-half-year stint as director of temporal affairs of the Church's Caribbean office took Brent, Kathy, and family to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from 1988 to 1990, allowing Brent to meet and work with people all over the islands of the Caribbean. His other assignments included executive secretary to Elder H. Burke Peterson, president of the Church’s Southwest Area in North America; the Physical Facilities and Welfare departments; the Presiding Bishopric's office, where he worked closely with Bishop H. David Burton; and the Perpetual Education Fund, under the direction of Elder John K. Carmack, for which Brent became the organization's first controller in 2001.

After retiring in 2003, Brent worked part-time as a representative of the United Way. He also enjoyed opportunities to teach business classes at both LDS Business College and the BYU extension in Salt Lake City. He never stopped learning, earning an additional history degree from Utah State. He and Kathy also filled countless hours tending grandchildren and volunteering to teach reading at Hannah Holbrook Elementary School in Bountiful.

A lifelong member of the LDS Church, Brent relished his opportunities to serve as a stake missionary along with Kathy in Michigan, and he later was called as branch president of the University of Michigan student branch in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He also served in callings as high priests group leader, Gospel Doctrine and Sunday School teacher, coach, and home teacher, among many others.

Preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law, William Dexter Sanders, Brent is survived by Kathy, his wife of nearly 46 years; children Michael (Jana), Layton; Jonathan, North Salt Lake; David (Jessica), Woods Cross; Benjamin (Adrienne), Centerville; Stephen (Summer), North Salt Lake; Elizabeth (Jeffrey) Wood, Centerville; 12 grandchildren; 1 great-grandchild; sister Marilyn Sanders, Fairfield, California; and numerous nieces and nephews in Utah, California, and England.

Brent's family are grateful to the health care providers who cared for him during the final days of his time on Earth, as well as the many friends and neighbors who blessed his life in countless ways over the years. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Perpetual Education Fund.

Dad's Obituary

My dad passed away Saturday, April 15, 2017, following a prolonged illness. You may read his obituary (which I wrote) here.

More posts about some of the goings-on and the rollercoaster that was the past week will follow shortly here on Paco Nation.

We love you, Dad, and we miss you.

Guys' Night Out

During the women's session of the most recent general conference of the Church, Mom, Biz, and Kate gathered to watch the meeting together while Dad, some of my brothers, their boys, and I went to Johnny Rockets in Farmington for a guys' night out.

Christian, at first, was not a happy camper . . .

. . . until we paired him up with his cousin and buddy Jake, after which he was all smiles, and the two of them played "Hide and Seek" with me: