It was a very sad and yet, very amazing moment… It was a tremendous privilege to be present, in the room, when my brother took his last breath. The doctors had met with Joe’s family (his wife Diane, three sons, parents and siblings) and exlained that all the tests had confirmed that there was no hope of recovery and we should consider turning off the life support. Diane was so strong - her sons Ryan, Taylor and Mitchell amazing as they all expressed their love to their Dad and said their good-byes. We were so proud of all of them. She decided to do it sooner than later and we all gathered around his bed for his last moments. We prayed and sang “Amazing Grace” as he slowly and peacefully slipped away.
We were all impacted with the truth of eternity, the fragility of life and the strength of love.
We’re so sorry for your loss, having seen the front page of the Now Newspaper, it is clear that your brother had a huge impact in the baseball community and that he will be missed by many. Like you have said many times before in your sermons, its all about the legacy we leave behind, and what that “dash” represents, and from what I read in the paper, for Joe, it meant giving a big part of his life to the kids who had a love for baseball and clearly, a love for life. Thank you for sharing this part of your journey with the church, your message on Sunday was real, heart felt and very compelling. We pray God’s strength for your family, for hope and peace.
love and blessings,
The St-Germain Family (Suzanne, Dan, Talia, Kyra & Elijah)
It is amazing, Pastor John, how you documented this moment of your brother took his last breath. Nothing is more breath-taking than witnessing a life being transferred from earth to heaven.