Lamar Bott’s Funeral Talk
At about 8:30pm on July 4th, (2022) I was able to witness my best friend graduate from this mortal life. In the twinkling of an eye, all of our lives have been changed forever. Whether you knew Craig for 60 years or 60 minutes, he was your best friend. I had the good fortune of knowing him for over 60 years, but I was only 1 of his best friends because we all shared him. We had the opportunity of vacationing together. First, the 4 of us (Craig and I, and our wives) became friends, then our children became friends, and now our grandchildren are friends. For close to 50 years, we have shared close to 2 years collectively of vacationing together, the good part of which has been in Sun Valley, Idaho. That has become our happy place. That is where activities become adventures. On one such adventure we were able to meet Arnold Schwartznegger. We had learned where Arnold lived, and so we went up to visit him. We were met with a number of NO TRESPASSING signs, but the gate was open, and Craig figured if the gate was open that he must be expecting us! We proceeded up the driveway only to meet Arnold coming down the driveway, behind the wheel of a great big black Humvee, and he didn’t look too happy to see us. It’s amazing how quickly a Ford Explorer can go in reverse when you’re about to be terminated! In Sun Valley, rules are just suggestions, and that’s the way it’s been for over 39 years. Kathy, I’m here to tell you that Craig admired you, he adored you, he loved you, and oftentimes he feared you! On our final bikeride, he paid you the ultimate compliment. I’ve already shared that with Kathy in private in that tender moment. You have already heard from his amazing daughters, and equally amazing are his sons in law. It’s been said that they were his sons. ‘In law’ was not a tag that followed them, he treated them just like he did his daughters. He taught them, he teased them, he tormented them, and he tricked them into foolish bets that often involved collecting dinners and other things! But in recent years it has all been about the grandchildren. All of his best friends have heard everything about the grandchildren. We all know that Ty hit 2 homeruns in a single inning. No one has ever scored a soccer goal when Chase is the keeper. JD does not have the most powerful serve, but he can cover the court and volley all day long. Luke is now the best bike rider in the family, especially on the downhill. Ashley is extremely tough--for a girl! And I can tell you that somewhere in Hailey, Idaho there is a maladjusted rodeo sheep that has been mutton busted by a skinny 5 year old girl from Colorado wearing pink crocs instead of cowboy boots. Cam, Craig got tears in his eyes watching ‘Top Gun Maverick’ when he saw the naval officers in their white uniforms. Paige, he was convinced that you could spend 2 weeks in Europe for under $100 because of your frugality and sacrifices. Drew, you’ve told everyone for years that you’re the best at every game, every contest, anything that you ever entered, and in Craig’s mind you were. Adam, we’ve already experienced your music today--Craig loved it! He loved your voice, he loved those songs that you recorded for him; a couple of them I’ve heard too many times! He played them time and time again. Abby, he admired your sweetness, your determination for you and Drew in law school. Emerson, he would smile everytime that your name was brought up, and he was convinced that you would be soaking wet within 5 minutes of being near any pool or any lake. And you're still the only granddaughter that has run over themselves with their own car! I know these things because Craig told them to me time and time again, and I want you all to know that Craig is still the patriarch of this family. He still presides, he is not, nor will he ever be released from this sacred calling. It’s your job now to keep these stories alive to your children and your grandchildren. He will be close by, he may be closer than you think. He is there to prompt you and to help you feel his presence when there are decisions to be made. On behalf of his many best friends, and in the name of his very best and closest friend, even our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
