Setting one last good example

My Grandpa Buhler was one of those quiet, unsung heroes — in part because he knew how to set an example.

It started when he answered the call of his country in the 1940s to serve in the Pacific theater of World War II. Pop took part in several major battles, including Saipan and Okinawa. After the war, he got married and raised two daughters — then stepped up as a father figure to my two sisters and me when our dads were absent for big parts of our childhoods.

One of the best examples Pop set was showing that it’s never too late to change. When he was 70 years old, Pop surprised (and overjoyed) us by finally giving his heart to Jesus Christ. To this day, I still consider it one of the greatest miracles I’ve ever seen.

Seventeen years later, Pop set one more example during his last days on earth.

As I said earlier, my sisters’ dad (I’ll call him Tom) was absent for big stretches of their childhood. Because Pop was a man who loved his family and who always stepped up and provided for them, he had a very low opinion of Tom, who he considered to be a deadbeat dad.

In fact, Pop was pretty vocal in his hatred of Tom. “I hate that dog!” was an expression we heard Pop use many times in reference to Tom. However, that hatred conflicted with Pop’s Christian faith — a fact my grandmother (Pop’s ex-wife) often reminded him of by telling him he was going to face eternal judgment if he didn’t let go of it.

Fast forward to March 2010, with my grandfather was in the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center with just a short time to live.

By coincidence (or was it divine providence?) Tom, a Vietnam veteran, also was in the same hospital. One day Tom told my mother he wanted to go talk to Pop.

Tom went to my grandfather’s room and offered Pop an olive branch — and my grandfather accepted, ending three decades of bad blood between the two.

A few days later, Pop was gone — but not without setting one more good example for all of us.

As long as we’re alive, it’s never too late to change.

Mike Buhler is a staff writer for the Daily American Republic. Contact him at mbuhler.dar@gmail.com.