Some Good Things About Funerals

This past week, we attended the funeral of Robert L. Rice. For those who don't immediately recognize his name, if you watched any of the 2002 Winter Olympics Opening or Closing Ceremonies, or if you have ever seen the University of Utah play football, you have likely seen his name, as the stadium is named Rice Eccles Stadium. The stadium bears his name because it was rebuilt in 1972 after he generously donated an unprecedented $1 million to the University of Utah athletic department. As a 'Utah Man', this was something that always made me so proud to have known him.

Because of this donation, those who come to the stadium will remember his generosity. But his legacy is much greater than the name on that building.

Funerals aren't always fun to go to. Sometimes, they are so personal, that, unless you're a family member, you can feel out of place. But this was a great funeral. It was encouraging because it made you want to be a better person for two reasons: There were close to 1,000 people at the funeral, so you could see just how many lives he touched. And, as mentioned at one point during the service, it was very likely that everybody there felt that they had a 'special' friendship with Bob Rice. That's how we felt, and that's because that's how he made everybody feel.

Another reason why it was motivating was to learn more about this great man. He had a true 'rags to riches' story, growing up a farm boy, not going to college, opening a small gym, and becoming very successful financially. But, in the words of his family, he also had a 'spiritual' rags to riches story. Kind of crazy to think - seeing that the First Presidency of the LDS church was at his service - that he did not go to church growing up and he didn't serve a mission. Yet, after meeting his wife, they became very involved with their church, and he went on to serve as a bishop, a stake president, and a temple sealer. And just like the financial legacy, his spiritual legacy was marked with generosity - spending countless hours serving and caring for others.

This is the kind of legacy that we all want to leave behind after our work is done. We want to live the kind of life that inspires others, and we want to leave this life, having made the world a better place. That always sounds like such a grandiose and impossible task. But it's not. We must just remember that we just need to make our world - the world in which we live in - a better place. At the very least, that means raising a wonderful family and adding something to the community in which we live. He will always have an extra special place in the hearts of both Jamie and I becuase he married us in the temple and sealed us for time and all eternity. What an honor it is for us to have such an extraordinary man play such an important role in our lives.

(Link to recent Tribune article about Bob Rice: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_6767095)