It’s certainly been a different Christmas season this year. The house was decorated beautifully, as always, by Fawn. But she and I have been the only people who’ve really had an opportunity to enjoy it! The lights on the Christmas tree have been off more nights than they’ve been on. It’s such a beautiful tree! The annual Fisher Christmas party was cancelled. We haven’t been able to do much entertaining at all this holiday season. Even the gifts under the tree are a little sparse. Christmas shopping just wasn’t much fun for us this year. Our minds have just been elsewhere.
Fawn’s mother, Teddy Faun Laningham, passed away last night, just a few minutes before the end of her 75th birthday. She had a long and difficult struggle. The end was especially harsh, not only for her poor diseased body, but for everyone else who has watched her decline. There is no cure for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), only treatments that can ease the symptoms some and put off the inevitable. Through these final few days, we’ve have had a good reminder about how God’s timing does not always match up with our own human ideas of timing.
Teddy was a beautiful lady, in every sense of the word. I owe so much to her, and she’s been a huge part of my life since the day I met her. When I met Teddy and Gene, I noticed immediately how they always told each other, and Fawn and Emory Dee, that they loved them. It was a natural part of their greetings and their goodbyes…a great big neck hug, a kiss, and an “I love you”. Pretty soon they both started doing that to me…even before I become their son-in-law. I wasn’t used to that, but I certainly liked it!
My brother Greg lived with me and Fawn for a summer and worked with us at TFL. He got to know Teddy and Gene then, and even HE picked up on the hugs and “I love you’s” from them. To this day, when our family gets together, Greg and I still greet each other with a hug and we’re easily able to say “I love you”. That came from Teddy.
Another thing that I immediately loved about Teddy and the Laningham family was just how much fun they always had as a family. I remember all the times we’d while away the weekend afternoons playing games, relaxing, cooking, watching TV, or whatever. Teddy taught me how important it was to just have fun in life, even down to just enjoying a good conversation with someone. Her family would sit and converse for hours, over games of Boggle or “Spite and Malice” card games, or whatever!
Teddy was a very intelligent woman, and could discuss just about anything with you. She read voraciously, about all kinds of things. She was opinionated, and had strong conviction in her beliefs. Her sense of humor, craziness, and her sometimes “creative” use of the English language made it always fun to be around her. You never knew what might happen in Teddy’s presence.
I was so impressed when Fawn first told me about Teddy’s business (TFL), right after we met. Of course I remember her telling me stories about her Mom standing in the study of their Grand Valley house, on the phone, not even really dressed yet, wheeling and dealing, and selling Lance Grid…to Shell or Exxon or Mobil or Aramco! I thought that was pretty cool! Teddy and Gene were the first true “entrepreneurs” that I ever met. I learned so much from them about business, and just about people in general. Teddy was one of the best salespersons I have ever seen! She was the first to teach me all the “ins and outs” of sales…everything from how to listen to a customer’s needs, to how to price something, to how to make sure that something was shipped and delivered on time, how to take care of a customer, even how to collect your money! That entrepreneurial spirit was ingrained in both Fawn and Emory early on, and (lucky me) I was able to grab some of it from them as well. Simply put…the business and people skills I learned from Teddy and Gene in my early years with TFL have enabled me to put food on our table, provide a good life for my wife and girls, to see and experience a good portion of the world, and to generally be successful in a career I enjoy! I will forever be grateful for that.
The world changed last night for our family. I smile when I think of how “unsettling” Teddy’s presence must be up in Heaven today (she was a little spoiled….just a little…there may be some new rules in Heaven today!). We’re sure she arrived there expecting a birthday party in her honor.
As we celebrate Christmas Day this week, even while burdened with this terrible loss, we are reminded of the Perfect Birth. We will celebrate Teddy’s earthly life in our own ways. And we will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God, who was born so that Teddy, and all of us who believe in Him, will have eternal life.
Thank you Teddy. We love you and will miss you!
Paul's Point of View 
Leave a comment