Dear Thoughtful Painters,

Memorial services are opportunities for the bereaved to receive comfort that their departed loved one has entered into God’s eternal care. It’s also an occasion to recognize the impact they made during their all too brief journey through this life.

As a veteran of over 650 funeral and memorial services, I’ve heard my share of remembrances. Usually, the memories shared are of specific events, often humorous, usually enduring. But from time to time something shared sticks with me long after the prayers of committal. Such was the case with a memory shared at George Staat’s memorial, held this past January after his passing on Christmas Eve, 2021. The eulogizer was his son, who recalled painting apartments with his father many years ago. George was an engineer at Electromotive but also maintained several rental properties in the La Grange area and did most of the maintenance with the help of family.

George’s son Larry recalled that as they painted units to prepare for rental, his father would observe (and this is my memory of the quote, so may not be verbatim), “As we painted, my dad would say, ‘People of limited substance spend their time talking about other people; folks of moderate substance speak of places and things; but those who have deep substance talk about ideas. What idea shall we discuss today?’”