Our Friend ~ Jeff McCloud

Our family had a very dear friend, Jeff McCloud, who died of ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease.  In fact he was one of my dad's very best friends.  After Jeff was diagnosed our family became involved with the ALS Association.  We joined team's in Jeff's honor, running and walking to help raise funds to defeat ALS.  After living and battling with ALS for ten years, Jeff died on March 17th, 2006.  It was a terribly sad day for his family and all of his friends.

I loved to hear Jeff laugh.  I remember as a kid, Jeff would drop by our house to visit.  He and my parents would sit and talk and laugh.  He smiled easily and his laugh could bring a smile to anyone's face.  I got to work for Jeff while I was in high school.  He owned and ran McCloud's Fine Woods, a woodworking store in Emporia.  I learned a lot and got to help with many woodworking projects.  We took several family vacations with Jeff, his wife Shirley, and their daughter Carrie... snow skiing, Branson, the East coast, and Florida... One summer on a trip to Florida we were at Sea World, on a ride called Wild Arctic, my sister and I were sitting on either side of Jeff... I will never forget how much fun the ride was... all three of us were oohing and ahhing and laughing so hard.  Jeff was laughing and laughing.  He even did a knee slap (that is how you know something is really funny, when a person does a knee slap during their laughter). What a fun memory.  One that makes me smile every time I remember it.  Jeff was a kind and caring person.  He did thoughtful things for his friends and his family.  He is missed dearly by us all.

 

Above are two pictures from our Florida trip... on the left: At Disney World- Lindsee, Brer Fox, Stacee, and Jeff.  On the right: At Sea World Orlando- Lindsee, Stacee, Buck McCloud, Shirley McCloud, Gloria Hastings, Jeff McCloud, and Paul Hastings.  

The Emporia ALS walk will be held on Saturday, August 24th this year.  Registration begins at 8:00 am and the walk starts at 8:30 am.  Our family will be there along with many of Jeff's friends and family members to walk in Jeff's memory.  There will also be a silent auction for some donated items.  One of those items is a t-shirt lap quilt that I made with several of the previous years ALS walk/run t-shirts.  I hope that it will get many bids and help to raise funds for the ALS Association.  Below you can see a picture of the finished quilt.

On the day Jeff McCloud died, my dad wrote this about his friend.....

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I am writing this note because I have a hard time talking at this time.

I have spent many hours with Jeff one on one and every one was a great pleasure for me.  Also Gloria and I have spent countless hours with Jeff and Shirley and again all have made us come to realize what special friends we have.  We thank God for Jeff and Shirley and all the times we had together.  They both have great families that we have been very privileged to meet and spend time with.  I couldn't go on without listing some of the times we spent together.  The fishing trips - we always had contests - men against women - I'm not sure that Jeff and I won any of them - what great fun! Jeff and I had lots of fishing trips with other friends - Mitch, John, Greg and others.  One great fishing trip Jeff never forgot was our Lake Texhoma trip with my brother, Charles and my Dad.  I'll never forget the Florida ocean fishing either.  Enough about fishing.  You might think that is all Jeff and I ever got done.  Jesus was pretty fond of fishermen!

Another thing Jeff and I had in common was the love of woodworking.  We would pick each others minds when we had a woodworking problem or idea that we thought we should try.  We learned from each other, and we enjoyed every minute.  Jeff's brother, Buck, Brad, Brian, and Darby are all woodworkers and have worked with Jeff too.  Darby has spent countless hours with Jeff in his shop the past two years, every Wed. - his day off he was down here working with Jeff.  Darby, I have to give you great praise, what a patient and loving person you are.  I am honored to have you as a friend.  I know Jeff really looked forward to his Weds. with Darb.  Anyway, woodworking was near and dear to both of us and brought us both closer together.  And we all know that Jesus's dad was  a woodworker, what better company to be with?

The trips and traveling! I am not sure I have enough paper to list them all.  I will try to list most of the more memorable ones:  To Richmond to visit Carrie and family - D.C. - Baltimore - Atlanta - Orlando -Natchitiches and Provencal, Louisiana - Colorado trips (Hastings cabin - skiing trips) - Minnesota trip to a resort on an island with friends and fishing - trips to Mitch's for some blue rock shooting KC woodworking and sports shows.  Also the many places visited in between our destinations, we always drove everywhere. We were travelers together, what wonderful times.  Jeff was the best navigator!  Jesus did some traveling in his day too.

Sports - Jeff loved tailgating at K-State football games.  He had season tickets for several years.  Mitch and Karen were so good to get Jeff and Shirley to the games.  Jeff loved to watch most any sports on TV - If we needed to know something about a sport or a time an event was going to take place, we just called Jeff.  He had filled out a bracket with Gloria on this last Tuesday.  I spent several hours Thursday afternoon watching basketball with him and Uncle George.  I had some great quality time that afternoon with Jeff! After watching TV for awhile we took a spin in the wheel chair.  We talked woodworking, finishing up a butcher block table for Shirley on Friday, Jeff's Dad was going to help us too.  We talked about some nice days in the near future and planning a fishing trip to Reading Lake.  I couldn't have asked for a better afternoon with Jeff.  Jesus spent time with friends and I know Jeff enjoyed every minute with friends.

As I write this note I am listening to a favorite country gospel CD.  The first song "Know Who Holds Tomorrow" has been running through my head and I think there is a part that fits Jeff's life.  "Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand, but I now who holds tomorrow and who holds my hand."  I believe this to be so true about Jeff.

There is another song that Jeff told me he really liked several years ago.  The "Hymn of Promise".  If you haven't read the words you really need to do this.  What meaning this song brings to Jeff's life on earth with us and now his life with Jesus.  "In the bulb there is a flower, in cocoons a hidden promise:  butterflies will soon be free and in our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory."  Jeff was and is that beautiful flower, he is now that butterfly flying free and he has at last victory over ALS.

I just want to say that Jeff has a lot of things in common with Jesus.  He surrounded himself with friends and made them feel great, he loved woodworking, and he liked fishing and fishermen.  You couldn't find a person kinder and more caring.  I often watched Jeff and Shirley give things away to people.  Jeff would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.  What a life!  It just was not long enough.

-Paul Hastings, March 17th, 2006

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Jeff impacted many lives in his short time on earth.  Thank you God for Jeff's life and for his friendship.  We are grateful to have had the opportunity to know and love him! 

If you are interested in bidding on the ALS t-shirt lap quilt that I made please contact myself, my Dad (Paul Hastings), or Gary Ace, or join us at Jones Park in Emporia on Saturday, August 24th.  All of the money raised goes to the ALS Association.  Thank you.