Obituary of Louis Cabot

CABOT, Louis, Jr., 84, of Tampa, FL, passed away Sunday, June 24, 2012. He was born in Tampa and served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War. Louis retired after 50 years in sales. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Lutz. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Violet; three sons, Alan and his wife, Michelle of Inverness, Rick and his wife, Vicki of Lutz and Jim of Tampa; sister, Olga Medkiff and her husband, Evans of The Villages; five grandchildren and five great grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and extended family. A memorial service will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 7, at his home church, First United Methodist of Lutz. Following the service, the family will greet friends. His final resting place will be at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell with military honors on Monday, July 9 at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the church in his memory, designated for “Cuba Missions”. Dad’s Journey Home The 23rd Psalm tells us how the journey of a Christian will end. “. . . I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” My Dad, Louis, had just expressed to me a couple of days before he died that he did not want to be remembered as a fighter. That’s impossible for anyone that knew how much his approach to all of life stemmed from his young experience as a professional fighter, or of his determination and refusal to “throw in the towel”. Fight stories of all kinds abounded, which we still share. Dad would also confess that he fought with God on many occasions. (Don’t we all in our own selfish ways?). Thursday, after Father’s Day, he studied a large hand printed copy of the 23rd Psalm. I honestly can’t remember Dad ever studying, but he sure did that day. He had a smile on his face almost the whole time. Hindsight convinces me that he knew his “promotion” was imminent. He told his nurse that he would be gone in two days, and he was! In the end, he rested in the peace of God. He told me with calm, clarity, and conviction that he had no grudges against anyone who had wronged him. That kind of fighting was over. Just before I dismissed the 9:45 service last Sunday, I told the congregation that I did not know if Dad had hours or days left. Twenty minutes later, Dad was gone. If we look for them, there are many spiritual lessons for us in death. Sadly, most people carry on blindly through life as though we have all the time in the world. Figuratively, God’s Word tells us that we don’t even have 20 minutes. Our life is . . . a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (James 4:14 KJV). We don’t know how sudden our journey home will be, but we do know that even a long life, in essence, is a vapor. The time to stop fighting with God is now. Today is the day of salvation, and it is also the day to begin, or renew, your commitment to fulfill your destiny. What is God calling you to accomplish for Him on your journey that will lead you Home? As always, you are loved, Pastor Rick P.S. Many, many heartfelt thanks for all of the prayers that went up for Dad, Mom, and the rest of the family, the beautiful cards, the delicious food, and prayerful condolences during the days before and following my Dad’s passing. You are wonderful! Please keep Mom, especially now, and in the future, in your thoughts and prayers.