My ride from the airport on a chilly day in October 2014
This morning the phone rang at 6 am, and the area code was from Alberta, Canada where it would be 4 am. My mind snapped awake as I anticipated what the call might be about. I answered and heard the sweet voice of my dear sister, Sharon. I held my breath waiting for the bad news, and then it came. Her husband Keith had passed away that night after being rushed to the hospital. Apparently it was some kind of blood clot to the lung, a complication of his cancer.
Sharon and I cried together on the phone, but I remember crying with her 11 years ago when she called to say Keith had pancreatic cancer. My dear friend and colleague, Gary Lawson, had just died weeks after having the same diagnosis. We thought Keith would not be with us for long. But for more than a decade we got to celebrate life with Keith. He saw all of his children get married and 8 grandchildren born.
Keith was an inspiration to us all. His long survival with a terrible form of cancer was just the beginning. He was inspiring in so many ways. He loved God and his church; he loved his family and my dear Sharon; he loved life. He was ambitious and generous at the same time (which is not always the case). He had strong convictions, but he respected the views of others. I am grateful to have had him as a brother in law, a mentor and a friend. He is now reunited with his father and his son, Brendan. I am comforted by that knowledge and with my many wonderful memories.
May God bless to our hearts the legacy of this inspiring Christian family man, Keith Nielsen.
Pastor Dale
