Since I first heard of Phil's death in late December I've been thinking about him and his family for some time each day. I knew he was seriously ill with some persistent and incurable health issues. I also thought for some time about what to write here and was unable to think of anything to say, but realized recently that if this had been a writing assignment for a college writing class I would have completed it by now and turned it in on time, regardless of the difficulty of the assignment. Phil and I grew up together and knew each other from a very early age. We attended the same church, Groffdale Mennonite, where together with others we negotiated the theological landscape of the idiosyncrasies of Mennonite belief and practice at that time in Lancaster County, PA. If it had not been for the church we probably would have never met, since we did not go to school together, and are not closely related, even though we have the same last name. My friendship with Phil, Mag, and their family reaffirms my belief that perhaps the best aspect of any church is not the beliefs and teachings we receive, but the people we meet and the friendships there that we cherish for life. I remember when I returned to Lancaster County after serving two years in alternative service in Amarillo, TX, Phil was the leader of the youth group. The pastor at Groffdale, Charlie Wert, told me that Phil was doing a good job in that position. This would have been in 1969. The pastor, who I always admired, respected, and considered to be a close friend, hinted that it was good I had returned and since I was a few years older than Phil, my presence would, presumably,. provide some maturity, and whatever is supposed to go with maturity, to the youth group. I participated, but never really provided any additional maturity, wisdom, or leadership that Phil had not already provided for the youth at Groffdale at that time. He displayed a wisdom and maturity greater than his age. I returned to Texas to go to college and there met Karen who has now been my closest companion for nearly 43 years. Karen and I moved to PA in 1974, and Phil and I renewed our friendship, now including Karen and Phil's bride, Mag. We visited together frequently and even took a trip to Montreal together. Our first daughters were born, I believe it was the same year, in 1976. Phil and I went to Washington D C for the Bicentennial Celebration on July 4. There we heard some live music and energetic speeches from people who thought, as Phil and I did, that this country could stand a lot of improvement. In August of that year, Karen and I and our daughter Marika, moved to Boise, ID where I went back to college and we joined and assisted in starting a new Mennonite congregation in the Hyde Park section of Boise which has been our church home ever since. We missed seeing and interacting with Phil and Mag as well as other friends and family from PA, but remember several visits and also spent time together when Phil and Mag and their family came to Oregon for the Mennonite Convention in the early 80s. In recent years when I (or Karen and I) visited PA we often stayed with Phil and Mag and appreciated their hospitality. One time Phil drove up to see us in Boise after attending a convention in Salt Lake City and we attempted to take him on a drive to see some of the mountains in central Idaho but the effort was blocked by snowy weather and icy roads. The last time I saw Phil I was in PA to visit my aunt at Garden Spot Village. Phil and I went together to visit another friend we grew up with at Groffdale, a man who was also struggling with health issues. We visited with him and his companion for some time and then, at his request, had prayer together before we left. It was a meaningful experience for all of us. I appreciated Phil's insights on Christianity and current events. If the conversation drifted to things that were happening in the world and how we as Christians should respond, it was clear from the wisdom of his comments that Phil had thought a lot about these issues and that his thinking was original, unselfish, Biblically sound, and not a carbon copy of some currently popular idea. Phil also accented his people interactions with an eloquent silliness that kept others smiling or laughing. He was a serious person without taking himself too seriously. He was kind, loyal, thoughtful, sensitive, and a prefect gentleman. I miss him. I understand that Mag, Mindy, and Melody and their families are now experiencing a great and irreplaceable loss, My thoughts and prayers are with them and I hope they feel God close to them at this time.