During
his eight years in the office of the president, Ronald Reagan left an indelible
mark on this nation and the world. However, the greatest message of Ronald
Reagan's life came not through his letters nor public speeches, but through the
testimony of a devoted and grafteful son he helped to lead to Jesus Christ.
Following is Michael Reagan's eulogy for his father.
Good evening. I'm Mike Reagan. You knew my father as governor and as president.
But I knew him as a dad. I want to tell you a little bit about my dad. A little
bit about Cameron and Ashley's grandfather because not a whole lot is ever
spoken about that side of Ronald Reagan.
Ronald Reagan adopted me into his family in 1945. I was a chosen one. I was the
lucky one. And all of his years, he never mentioned that I was adopted either
behind my back or in front of me. I was his son, Michael Edward Reagan.
When his families grew to be two families, he didn't walk away from the one to
go to the other. But he became a father to both. To Patti and then Ronnie, but
always to Maureen, my sister, and myself.
We looked forward to those Saturday mornings when he would pick us up, sitting
on the curve on Beverly Glen as his car would turn the corner from Sunset
Boulevard and we would get in and ride to his ranch and play games and he would
always make sure it ended up a tie.
We would swim and we would ride horses or we'd just watch him cut firewood. We
would be in awe of our father. As years went by and I became older and found a
woman I would marry, Colleen, he sent me a letter about marriage and how
important it was to be faithful to the woman you love with a P.S., You'll never
get in trouble if you say I love you at least once a day, and I'm sure he told
Nancy every day "I love you" as I tell Colleen.
He also sent letters to his grandchildren. He wasn't able to be the grandfather
that many of you are able to be because of the job that he had. And so he would
write letters. He sent one letter to Cameron that said: "Cameron, some guy
got $10,000 for my signature. Maybe this letter will help you pay for your
college education. He signed it, Grandpa. P.S., Your grandpa is the 40th
president of the United States, Ronald Reagan. He just signed his sign."
Those are the kinds of things my father did.
At the early onset of Alzheimer's disease, my father and I would tell each other
we loved each other and we would give each other a hug. As the years went by and
he could no longer verbalize my name, he recognized me as the man who hugged
him. So when I would walk into the house, he would be there in his chair opening
up his arms for that hug, hello, and the hug goodbye. It was a blessing truly
brought on by God.
We had wonderful blessings of that nature. Wonderful, wonderful blessings that
my father gave to me each and every day of my life.
I was so proud to have the Reagan name and to be Ronald Reagan's son. What a
great honor. He gave me a lot of gifts as a child. Gave me a horse. Gave me a
car. Gave me a lot of things. But there's a gift he gave me that I think is
wonderful for every father to give every son.
Last Saturday, when my father opened his eyes for the last time, and visualized
Nancy and gave her such a wonderful, wonderful gift. When he closed his eyes,
that's when I realized the gift that he gave to me, the gift that he was going
to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He had, back in 1988 on a flight
from Washington, D.C., to Point Mugu, told me about his love of God, his love of
Christ as his Savior. I didn't know then what it all meant. But I certainly,
certainly know now.
I can't think of a better gift for a father to give a son. And I hope to honor
my father by giving my son, Cameron and my daughter, Ashley that very same gift he
gave to me.
Knowing where he is this very moment, this very day, that he is in Heaven, and I
can only promise my father this. Dad, when I go, I will go to Heaven, too. And
you and I and my sister, Maureen, who went before us, we will dance with the
heavenly host of angels before the presence of God. We will do it melanoma and
Alzheimer's free. Thank you for letting me share my father, Ronald Wilson
Reagan.
The greatest legacy that we as parents can give to our children is one that will
last till eternity -- faith in God . No
amount of money, power, material gifts or even our love for them can replace
it. Only when we have knelt before God, can we stand before men.
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