At the time of his passing, Jack Denton was 101 years old. He was the oldest member of Ardmore Presbyterian Church and a fine Christian gentleman. When he could no longer come to worship, APC maintained a relationship with him through our lay visitation ministry. Spending time with people like Jack can be very rewarding. I encourage you to contact the church office to find out how you can spend time with our seasoned saints.
The following words were shared by me at Jack’s funeral:
Before Jim Young passed away a few years ago, he was an elder in the Ardmore Presbyterian Church. One of the ministries that he greatly enjoyed was picking up people to bring them to worship on Sunday. The Quadrangle was a frequent stop, and he came to know Jack Denton. Jim had a great deal of respect for Jack, and even after Jack stopped coming to church, Jim continued to visit. On one visit, Jack told Jim that he and his son had recently traveled to some retirement communities. They evaluated the facilities and spoke with some of the staff. Jim was a little perplexed. “Jack, you are already living in a retirement community.” And Jack responded, “Not for me, but for my son.”
There are several members of Ardmore Presbyterian Church who have fond memories of visiting with Jack Denton. I count myself among them. Those visits weren’t necessarily memorable for the conversation although Jack was always intelligent and witty. They were memorable for the man who Jack Denton was. He was decent, kind and considerate. There was a warmth about him. Even when facing adversity, Jack was cheerful and faithful. People would tell me that they went to bless Jack with their time, but afterwards, they find that they themselves received the blessing.
At 101 years old, Jack was the oldest member of the church. He saw two world wars, a Great Depression, and the devastation of September 11, 2001. Jack experienced profound technological and social changes. Many were positive. Some were negative. Looking back, Jack always expressed surprise at his age. He couldn’t believe it. When Jack was young he had many health concerns. In fact, life insurance companies would turn him down for a policy suggesting that he was a bad risk. Jack personally showed all the actuarial tables wrong.
More recently, Jack became a bit frustrated that he was still around. He missed his wife terribly, and almost all of his friends were gone. He was never doubtful or unfaithful, but he asked God why God wouldn’t call him home. I told him once that maybe even at 100 or 101, God still had work for him to do. Jack listened kindly, but clearly, he couldn’t fathom what that job might be. Then some hospital aide barely twenty years old would come into his room and announce what a profound impact that Jack’s short time there had on her life.
One might think that Jack was simply a product of his age. People were attracted to him because he represented something from a by-gone era. Our society truly is coarser, and civility is in short supply, and Jack’s emphasis on manners was indeed refreshing. However, there were rogues and scoundrels among those born a century ago. Jack’s decency was not generational. It went deeper.
Jack’s love for God defined him. He knew the Scriptures inside and out. He wanted to live out his faith. He didn’t just want to recite a creed. Jack was active in the church. He gave his time, his talent and his treasure. Jack almost became a minister, but his Christian witness probably reached more people at the insurance company where he worked. His own children claim that he never fought with his wife. His marriage was a 49-year honeymoon. Jack tried to raise his own children with love and discipline.
Jack wasn’t arrogant. Instead, he had a humility that knew that God’s love was undeserved. Jack had his own sins and temptations, but he relied on the forgiveness that comes from Jesus Christ. Jack’s favorite Scripture was the 23rd Psalm. It describes a God who cares for us and walks with us throughout life: “The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.” In fact, that God walks with us beyond “the valley of the shadow of death.” Jesus rose from the dead secures for us a victory over the evils of this world. Because Jesus prepares a place for us, we may “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Many of us are tired of a world in which the arrogant prosper. Jack showed us that there is a more perfect way. He gave us a witness that God is alive and willing to see us home.
Grace and Peace,
James Hodsden
Pastor 139 