Anonymous
MEMORIAL EULOGY
My Dear Frances, Helga, Susan, Kathy, Carol, Robert, Sandy, Erin Elisabeth, Cameron Carl and Ethan Mark;
You lost a dear son and son-in-law, your brother, a loving fusband and an adoring father in Randy Sawyer and I lost my best friend. I know that each of us here will miss this gentle and caring man that was always ready and willing to lend a hand when help was needed, to give comfort when we were sad, to spread cheer wherever he went. Randy completely understood the Christian principles of the joy of giving, the pleasure of sharing and the happiness of helping. He did this not only with his treasure but even more importantly with his time, his kind words and his deeds. That was his life and this is his legacy.
Fifty-five years is such a short time, but make no mistake, he relished every one of those years. No one enjoyed life as much as Randy. The world was his stage and there was no greater showman. He was always eager to perform no matter if it was at a national convention, or a birthday party for his wife or only for a locker room full of speedskaters. Randy was ever the ringmaster with his quick wit, cutting satire and self-effacing humor. To say he was flamboyant would be an understatement. Everything was bigger than big for Randy. He attacked projects large or small with equal amounts of gusto. The words "good enough" were banned from his lexicon. He always strived for the best; be that in his business ventures or in providing for his family. So it was that the nursing homes that he and Sandy built had to give "uncompromised care" for their patients. His standards were always nothing short of the best of the best for the residents and his staff. His wife, Sandy, was the love of his life and the children the apple of his eye. He loved life and seen the good in all of God's creation. He had that unique ability to light up the darkest of rooms. He spread sunshine wherever he went and brought smiles to everyone's faces. That was what was so endearing about our Randy.
I first met Randy twenty years ago at a very minor inline skating race. I must admit I was taken aback when this complete stranger shoved a small personal video camera right in my face and began interviewing me like I was some Hollywood celebrity. Part of my mind was saying, "Who is this lunatic?" Another part of my ego was more than willing to play along as he made me feel like I was the meet director for the Olympic games. In the coming years, I came to learn that turning the common person into celebraty status was kind of the specialty of Randy. Be it a first year skater winning a fourth place medal and hearing Randy yell out; "Hold that medal up to the camera," or a proud mom or dad watching from the sidelines and Randy boldly striking up a conversation about how talented was their son or daughter. That was the modus operandi of Randy. He make everyone feel they were important in this world.
Over the last two decades, Randy became one of the best friends anyone ever had. I was the one that dubbed him, "The Amazing Randy-Man," because of the ease in which he could approach total strangers and become close friends in a matter of minutes. Engaging, thoughtful and energetic are just a few of the adjectives that made Randy so downright likable. No project was too overwhelming for him. No goal was beyond his reach.
I think I would be remis in recounting the life of Randy if I did not pause right here in the eulogy and take a moment to present this commercial message. Electronics and gadgetry were also a huge part of Randy's DNA makeup. Those of you that knew Randy also understood this other passion in his life and that was his love for the Apple Corporation. There never was an Apple product that Randy didn't fall in love with; be it their computers, i-pods or i-phone. His idea of a great vacation was not to go to Paris or London, but to the Apple trade show in San Francisco to watch the company president unvail the latest products. That was Randy. (That company sure lost it's greatest