Eulogy - Life Sketch * Chester Ross Shumaker

Life History – Eulogy

for

Elder Chester Ross Shumaker

by Elder O. Kris Widmer, Son-in-Law

Read at Memorial Services held on August 25, 2018 in Magalia, California.

Compiled from family sharing, family records and stories told by Chet on September 2, 2016.

Introductory Obituary

Chester Ross Shumaker, (known as Chet to his family and friends) was born September 25, 1935 in Mercy Hospital; on a day that saw early snow flurries come to Monroe, Michigan.  He died on Tuesday, August 14,  2018 on a day filled with hot summer temperatures and smoke-filled valleys in Paradise, California. He was 82 years, 10 months, 20 days of age.

He is survived by his wife Eleanor May (Webster) Shumaker; Daughter, Cheryl Ann (Shumaker) Andersen and her husband Bruce of Marysville, California; Daughter, Deborah (Debbie) Ellen (Shumaker) Widmer and her husband Kris of Antioch, California.  

He is also survived by his adult grandchildren: Michael Andersen and his wife Marci, Shelly Erasmus and her husband Jaco, Teagan Widmer and her wife Jenn and Rebekah Shepherd, all residents of California AND Julie Caballero and her husband Ysidro, residents of Georgia.  

He is survived by and was able to meet and hold his two infant great-grandchildren:  Emma Erasmus (born in May 2017) and Markus Andersen (born in May 2018.)

Though he was preceded in death years ago by his only and older sister Betty Gray and her husband Richard - he is survived by her two children and their families.  Patricia Gray Dickerson and her husband Lyndel of Centerville, Ohio and their daughter, Heather and Marty Gray of Charlotte, Florida.

He is also survived by Eleanor’s siblings, his three sister-in-laws: Irene Randall of Arizona;  Joyce Hilton and her husband Dick of New York, Elaine Taber and her husband Buck of Arizona; and their children and grandchildren.

He is also survived by many nieces and nephews and many church and community friends, neighbors and acquaintances.

 The Story of a Loved and Loving Life

Chet’s Early Years…Told in Chet’s Own Words.

I was born 25 miles south of DE-troit, on the shores of Lake Erie.  It was just like downtown…but not so far!  My parents were Calvin Russell Shumaker & Evelyn Mae (Brooks) Shumaker.  The original spelling of my last name was SHOEMAKER or perhaps SCHOEMACHER…but my grandfather shortened the spelling of the name. An ancestor must have made shoes.  My father was a furnace operator in the Newton Steel Company mill.  Before the days of sport drinks, he had to take salt pills to keep his electrolytes up as he perspired so much during his work in front of the heat of the boilers.  My father also worked in construction, putting tar as a sealant to new basements being built in Michigan.  He also was a janitor for the Lutheran Church.  My mom was a wife and mother.

There was a large age gap between my older sister Betty and myself.  She was over a decade older than me.  So essentially, I was raised as an only child.

As a boy, I had a very chronic case of Eczema.  In fact, I was born with it. There was no cream or potion that would relieve my suffering.  For sleeping, my hands were usually tied to the crib or bed.  One time my aunt felt sorry for me and so she untied my hands.  In the morning, I had scratched myself raw. There were blood spots all over the sheets.  She never felt sorry for me again.  When my Grandpa Shumaker was dying, he said “I’m praying to take Chester’s Eczema to the grave.”  Within 7 days after he died, my skin condition cleared up.  Surely God’s hand was upon me.

I remember one time seeing my father and a friend smoking cigars, which was something my father rarely did.  “I want to smoke,” I said.  “O.K.,” he said, as he handed me a lit stogie.  I took a deep breath on it and almost coughed my toes out!  I never tried tobacco again!

I went to Elementary School at Waterloo School and Custer Consolidated Elementary School in Monroe, Michigan.  I got to be the pitcher during softball games on the field, until one time a line drive hit me in the head.  I was removed from pitching…permanently.

My family used to have an annual family reunion.  We’d drive from Michigan to Ohio to the “Wheeler Family Gathering”.  My grandfather had many brothers and sisters.  There would be 50-60 people there…and they would put out the food.  What a feast!  They would have a penny toss for the children and three-legged races. It was held in a beautiful yard, overlooking Lake Erie.

An important moment in my life was when my parents attended evangelistic meetings held by Elder Ellis at the local Masonic Hall.  My father accepted the message, but my mother did not.  My parents would battle over my presence on Sabbath mornings.  My dad tried to get me to come to church (which I often did), but my mother would try to take me to the movies.   Dad wanted to become a literature evangelist, and he had the Publishing Secretary come and teach him what do.  He set him up with supplies…but shortly, on a day dad was gone, mother burned the books.

Another important moment in my faith development was tied to a neighbor across the street.  He was a fishmonger.  He’d go to Detroit for a truckload of fish and distribute it to other retailers.  He went on this route on Saturdays.  He asked me to go with him…and I wanted to go with him.  I was perhaps 12, 13, 14 somewhere in there.  Dad discouraged me from going, citing Sabbath holiness.  I ended up going…and that decision almost killed me.   There was an accident…the truck went between a larger truck wheels…and the cab of our truck was wedged into the space.  I was not hurt.  But the incident helped Dad drive the point home.  “If you had been in church with me on Saturday…”

Eventually, I was baptized as an Adventist.  I was about 10 or 12.  It was in the chilly waters of Lake Erie by Pastor Snow.  Brrrr!  Dad and I would pray for mother to also become part of our church.  It took many years, (20 years) but eventually – after I was grown and gone - she accepted Jesus and the Sabbath and was baptized in Adrian, Michigan. (6 m, 40s]

As a child, I would often sing with my older sister.  I’d sing tenor harmony against her melody.  “In The Garden” was one of the songs we’d do together.  I sang it with her daughter’s husband as her funeral.

I learned to work and do odd jobs, even in my youth.  For two summers, I rode my bicycle the 5 miles to the country club and caddied for the golfers.  I was so short that few people would hire me to carry their clubs.  Once, I carried TWO bags for a whole 18 holes.

Later, I also worked nights at the bowling alley.  There were no mechanical pin setters in those days.  It was done by us boys!  Sometimes, I’d work double shifts.  It was good money and better than being a caddy!

Later, I got a job in a print shop that was over a stationary store.  We’d print business cards, letterhead, time cards and many other items.  I learned to set type, use a hand-fed press and how to ink it too!

Eventually, my father felt I needed to get out from my mother’s influence…and so he sent me to Adelphian Academy at the start of my High School years.  I was there for the first two years.  When I was there, I worked in the woodshop, making trellis frames.  It was good money, because I was a fast worker.  It paid all my tuition.

But…my Eczema returned.  It broke out all over my hands.  I returned home to High School for a time.  Tests revealed I was allergic to many grasses.  Eventually, I was able to return to Adelphian for my senior year and graduate.

For my senior year, I was a busboy at the Holly Hotel.  I’d pick up dishes and glasses in the dining room and the bar.  I’d wash the dishes, often getting off at 2 a.m.

Sometimes, I’d sneak out of the boy’s dorm at school.  Since my father was a Stanley Brush Salesman at the time, I took a broom from his demonstration supplies, covered it with a blanket and it served as a decoy in my bed.  I snuck out many times this way to work or to the movies…and seldom got caught!

One time I did get caught…and my punishment was digging a hole: 4ft x 4ft x 4 ft…and then filling it back in.

After graduating from Adelphian Academy May 16, 1954 during the school’s Golden Anniversary year, I went to EMC - Emmanuel Matrimonial College.  1954-1955.  With my experience, I worked in the print shop.  I took some classes, but never graduated with a degree.  I did however have a successful college experience…for it was there I met the woman I love.  Eleanor Webster!  I knew she was the girl for me. 

Getting Married

I met her at my work.   She was a Sophomore, and was student worker to the manager of the print shop.  I knew a good woman when I saw her...and I’d seen her.  I wanted her.  I let nothing stand in my way, not even the truth about my age.

One of the courses I had taken was how to operate a Linotype Machine.  That summer, I had 19 letters offering me a job from California to Alaska to Ohio.  The job I took was the closest one to Eleanor, who stayed in school.  I worked in Genoa, Ohio, hitchhiking my way to see her in Berrien Springs (181 miles) or riding with a friend to her family home in Red Creek, New York. (408 miles) (Don’t try that today, boys and girls.)

We were married on July 31, 1955 in Dexterville, New York in the little Seventh-day Adventist Church – and our love that has lasted for 63 years and counting.  (The newspaper notice reporting the wedding mixed up and misprinted Chester’s name with his father’s name.)

Three months after the wedding, Eleanor was pregnant.  So on the day after our first anniversary, Cheryl Ann joined our happy home.  We were not particularly super religious at the time, so we named our little girl a name we liked.  Cheryl Ann...after a tugboat in “Waterfront”, a hit T.V. series from 1954-1956.

With a baby on the way, I asked my boss for a raise…and he said “No.”  So I put out letters for work…and found a higher paying job in Perry, NY.  So we moved, and Cheryl was born in New York. I worked there for 2 years, and attended Rochester Institute of Technology, learning teletype repair.

There were a few other job and city moves during these years.  I was always looking for better work to support my family.  One day, I went to Salamanka, New York.  There was an opening at a daily newspaper.  Mon-Sat.  I’d have to work on Sabbath.   Now at the time, we were nominal Adventists.  Sure, we went to church.  But, we also ate pepperoni pizza.   The interview as on a Sabbath.

The night before, I had a dream… I was walking in a fair’s carnival midway….I became observant of lots of people walking towards me.  I was walking against the crowd.  I stopped someone and asked.  “Where you going?”  They left me.  The crowd was getting thicker…and I was having a hard time walking forward.  “Where are you going?” I asked again.  “Don’t you know?” the man said.  He also left me without comment.  I approached a walker a 3^rd time.  I begged the man.  “Where are you going.”  “We’re on our way to heaven!” he said.  I woke in a cold sweat.  That night I made the decision to not work a Sabbath job.   I called the newspaper saying I couldn’t come to the interview.

Eleanor and I became more faithful in our religious practice after that!  We stopped eating pepperoni and chicken.  I still sought better jobs.  There was a need for my skills in Ypsilanti, Michigan. There, I had Sabbath problems again.  They fired me, for not being willing to work on Friday night.  I’d punch out at Sundown…and leave.  Within 24 hours, I had a new job in nearby Jackson for 2$ more per hour!

But, there were Sabbath problems there too.  I’d work until midnight…then sleep in the car until 8 a.m. and then work the morning shift…just so I could get Sabbath off.  I did this for 9 months.  They worked with me for while…but eventually there was too much grief over my day of rest and worship.  I had a problem too with the L-rod machine. It formed molten lead into spacer bars for printing plates.  It ran hot…and would splash hot lead onto my arms.  I refused to work it…until they fixed it…and so they fired me.

Along about that time, two days after the start of Spring in 1961, Deborah Ellen joined our family, born in Jackson, Michigan.  Now with our deeper family spirituality, we named our second daughter after the powerful woman judge in the Bible:  Deborah.

Our family was now complete…and all my boys were girls.

That is when Eleanor heard about Elder J.D. Spiva, the Michigan Publishing Secretary.  There was an opening in Pontiac, Michigan., 81 miles away.   I applied and got the job. Bill Bloom was the district leader and he taught me well to sell our church’s books.   So it was that I started work as a colporteur. [We leave the first person story…and return to third person]

From Printing to Ministry – Transition Back to Third Person

God blessed Chet right away in the book selling work.  In those days, a new colporteur was invited to visit the publishing house and printing plant to be inspired with what it took to print and make the books.  Well, Chet was so busy selling, his trip to Washington DC / Maryland was postponed for about a year.  His sales kept going up, up up.

Shortly, he was asked to make a presentation at a colporteur rally about his manners and methods at the door.  He used a red felt pen like this.  He held the books like this.  He pointed to the words like this.  He’d ask “Do you want the red or the blue cover.”  Everyone heaped praise on him…and he felt very proud inside.

When he returned home…he bottomed out. After pride comes a fall.  God was teaching Chet that literature ministry was all about God and not about him.  Chet and Eleanor had just enough money for the rent and car gas.  Chet and Eleanor sometimes ate popcorn and frequently searched the couch cushions for spare change.

It was 6 months before things picked up again.

In 2 years time, Chet was the top selling colporteur in Michigan…and was asked to become a district leader, to train others.  There were many struggling men in those days, and Chet taught them how to “close a sale.”  For years, they had Chet Shumaker’s canvass (sales presentation) written out and taught as a model solicitation.  Chet’s work was to go out with a colporteur and coach them in their work, often he would make some presentations, close the sales…and make sure the money went to the man he was helping.  Kenny Williams.  Leonard Kitsen, Don Baker, Don Baker’s Father, Eugene Torres, Robert Burger, Lloyd Graf.  These are but a few of the men Chet knew by name and had a great affection for, because they ministered together in selling truth-filled books.

At one point, his team had the highest sales in the Union.

Chet served as the Assistant Publishing Secretary for the Michigan Conference, then the Publishing Secretary for the Greater New York Conference, then the Iowa Conference and finally the Assistant Publishing Secretary for the Southeastern California Conference.  

While serving the Greater New York Conference, Chet was ordained to the Gospel Ministry on June 27, 1970 in a service that included 3 other conference leaders.  H.M.S. Richards Jr. and Leslie Harding were camp meeting speakers, and also took part in the service.

From 1975-1980, he worked as a realtor (getting his own broker’s license) and house flipping with his friend and business partner Ted Royer.  If it would have been a reality show… it would have been called “Flipping Riverside County.”  They would buy a burn out or fixer upper - then Ted would do the repairs and Chet would do the real estate work. During this time, he bought some lots at auction, sold them for a good profit.  (Debbie will tell you more about that in her message to follow in a few minutes.) 

Another time he traded an apartment complex for a motorhome, and the family enjoyed that motorhome for the next two and a half decades!  It was used for vacations, Pathfinder and Sabbath school campouts, as the food wagon for their annual trip to the Rose Parade, as a mobile evangelistic residence and was the heart of the family compound at Redwood Camp Meeting for over a decade. (It was also the site of Kris’ first kiss upon his youngest daughter’s lips...but we’ll just leave that story to your imagination for now.)

Later in La Sierra, he took a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Loma Linda University and then worked for a little while as a chaplain for two Corona hospitals.

Then, God called Chet back into a ministry role. He was an Associate Evangelist for the Carolina Conference – singing for meetings and giving Bible studies with Elder Lyle Pollett.

While in the Carolinas, Chet learned how to service mechanical clocks.  He had good mechanical skills from his work in printing. He oiled, tweaked and adjusted many clocks for himself and friends, building a nice set of tools for such work.

However, the routines and rigors of evangelistic work (2 weeks at home and 6 weeks in that motorhome) got old pretty fast.  In time, the friendly conference treasurer helped him into a pastoral position for the Jacksonville/New Bern/Washington District on the coast of North Carolina, covering a 68 mile stretch along US-17.

Then, the call came to return to California…serving for 18 years - from 1984 to 2001 in the Vacaville, McKinleville and Magalia-Upper Ridge Churches.  While he was in McKinleyville, he was the pastoral leader for the construction of a new fellowship hall, that matched the external architecture of the existing church building.

While he and Eleanor lived on the North coast, he was automatically a member of the Redwood Camp Meeting Committee.  He was present at most work bees to improve the camp; and he and Eleanor were the designated poison-oak eradication team.  With a sprayer of plant killing fluid, they would walk the entire grounds and each camp site, spraying any sprig of triple leaves they could see.

For the camp, He also became the director/administrator for the tape ministry department.  He built a team of about a dozen people (half of which were family) and saw the number of recordings go from the mid-40’s to the mid-120’s and the production and sale of tapes go from 5,000 to over 10,000 in the time he was the leader.   So much has changed in how sermon are recorded and distributed in our internet era, but Chet oversaw the last of the camp cassette era.

For over a decade (from 1988 to 1999), Camp Meeting became a family event; with a compound of 3 RV’s, tarps, tables, chairs, carpets and wagons. It was the site of the family celebration of their anniversary, as well as the summer birthdays of Cheryl, Michael and Rebekah birthdays.  Rebekah’s first camping trip was there, at the age of 3 weeks.

Kris treasures the moments during camp pitch, when at the end of the long work day and after evening showers; he and Chet would then read and discuss the Bible together.  They would end those days on their knees in prayer. …in that Shumaker motorhome.  And at least once during each camp meeting week, He and Kris would be signed up to sing a harmonious duet for special music in the main pavilion.

While in McKinleyville, Chet added the hobby of Amature Radio to his interests.  He studied for and then passed the No-Code Tech test.  He became KE6ETO, and it was embroidered on a cap that he wore while “on the air” and was kept in his car for use when he needed it. He used his 2-meter band radio to serve his community through the local radio club.  He provided volunteer radio service to several marathons on the North Coast and also bike rides in the Chico area,  including the “Wildflower Century Ride”, in which his Michael, his grandson, was a rider.

Chet’s final vacation as a church pastor came in September 2001.  He and Eleanor had traveled to Alaska for a combined cruise, buss and rail adventure to Denali National Park. As world events unfolded, the grounding of aircraft after 9/11 complicated their return to California. In fact, Eleanor remembers that they caught the last plant to leave Anchorage before the shut down.  

Chet retired from full-time ministry in late October 2001, with a memory book filled with pictures, letters and blessings from the Upper Ridge church family.

Memories of My Grandpa

Michael Andersen

Chester Shumaker’s Grandson, Cheryl Andersen’s Son

For Memorial Service - August 25, 2018

Growing up I always looked forward to visiting Grandpa & Grandma, with some of my earliest memories being of visiting Grandpa was when he was a pastor in McKinleyville, CA.

For several years growing up the highlight each summer was working with Grandpa, my Mom and my Aunt Debbie and Uncle Kris in Tape Ministries at the Redwood Camp meeting.  We would arrive a week early to help set up camp meeting.  It was a fun family time in a beautiful location and also a time when Grandpa taught me to work hard, fast & also do good quality work.

There are 2 things Grandpa told me when I was young that I have never forgotten:

1:      “…and lo, I am with you always…”  Matt 28:20    From a young age I remember Grandpa telling me this whenever I was up high climbing a tree, scrambling around on rocks or up high on a ladder helping Grandpa with a project at their house, Grandpa would say, Remember what Jesus said:  And “low”, I am with you always. It has been a reminder to be safe, pray for safety and comes to mind now when I am on ladders, working on the roof of my house, or out rock climbing and I remember Grandpa’s smile as he said it.

2:      “Take care of your tools and they will take care of you!”     Grandpa told me this when I was a young kid and helping him finish up a home repair project on their house.  He taught me to clean the tools and take good care of them so they last and keep a clean & organized garage or tool shop.  I enjoyed working on projects with Grandpa, learned skills that helped me succeed in life and also always remembered to take good care of things I own and will always remember Grandpa for this.

I had a lot of respect for Grandpa, trusted his wisdom and guidance and always knew that he loved me.  During our last conversation he reminded me to take the time to maintain good relationships with my family and friends.

Grandpa was there for me at all of my major life events and helped develop my relationship with Christ. He studied with me for baptism and baptized me when I was 10 in 1992, co officiated my marriage to Marci in 2005 and in July of this summer did a private baby dedication for our son Markus, Grandpa’s Great Grandson, who was born on May 26, 2018.

Grandpa, you will be missed, we love you & look forward to seeing you again at the 2^nd coming of Christ.

Memories of My Grandpa

Rebekah Ellen (Widmer) Shephard

Chester Shumaker’s Granddaughter, Debbie Widmer’s Daughter

For Memorial Service - August 25, 2018

I was lucky growing up that I lived close to my grandma and grandpa. Some of my earliest memories were of family events that we got to experience together.  For several years I even got to see my grandpa on a weekly basis when my parents decided to homeschool us kids, and every Wednesday we got to go to grandmas and grandpas! After school we’d get to come to their house and eat spaghetti before heading home. We were really lucky. And I cherish those memories of getting to see grandpa every single week.

As I thought of what I wanted to share about grandpa, I couldn’t remember one specific story because for me, grandpa was just always a part of my life. He was there for all the good memories of my childhood. Summers at camp meeting, playing Indians and dissecting banana slugs with my cousins in their backyard, birthday barbeques and fireworks, graduations, family vacations, Christmases and New Years. He always showed up to help us paint the house or pack up for a move. He came to our school plays. He tried to cure my illnesses with two brown cups…one with something horribly bitter and the other with the juice “chaser” to take away the burn. He taught me how to play chess on his giant chessboard with huge pieces filled with cologne. And he always seemed to be the one to grab the spoon first when we played Pit. Grandpa was always there.

To me, grandpa was the epitome of what a good father, grandfather, and husband should be. He was a family man. He always took care of grandma. He always put her first. He pumped her gas, he scraped the ice off the driveway, he brought in the firewood…not because he had to or because she couldn’t, but because he loved her. When grandma was super busy in the kitchen or not paying attention he would go up to her and get right up to her and stick out his lips for a kiss. Then he would turn to us all and give a grin. We never doubted his love for her or for any of us and he made sure to say “I love you” and show it each time we parted.

Grandpa always had a way of making people laugh. He would call the waitresses “George” (well actually he called everyone George) and no matter how bad your day had been, it would make you smile. He had any number of other little sayings and jokes that would bring a smile to your face. He was a person who always smiled. Always laughed. And could always make me laugh. As I was saying goodbye to him on the Sunday night before he passed away I was crying. We had been joking about Kleenex the night before and he was worried about me driving in the dark. He looked at me and he said “Now get outta here…….you’re using all my Kleenex.” And I laughed. Even at the end, Grandpa made me laugh.

And last but not least, Grandpa was a man of God – a man of faith and a man of prayer. As I would leave for mission trips he always called me to pray for me. And I knew he was praying because I had seen him pray. When we would stay the night at grandma and grandpas I would stay on the trundle bed in the room past the kitchen by the garage. I would often wake up in the morning and tip toe through the kitchen to find whoever was awake. I would always find grandpa in the living room, kneeling by the sofa, with his Bible open, praying. Sometimes I would tip toe back to my room and other times I would camp out by behind the chair or the end table and I would watch grandpa pray. He was a good prayer-er. And that is the image that will forever live in my mind. Grandpa would always pray as we were leaving the house or driving anywhere really. He would pray “for a legion of angels” to go before us and surround the vehicle and the other cars on the road. So now I pray for a legion of angels to go with us…to comfort us and to guide us closer to God until we get to see Grandpa again.

We love you and miss you Grandpa. And we’ll see you soon.

Family Man

Chet was not only a faithful minister; he was also a devoted family man.  He and Eleanor made sure that their daughters had a loving home and a Christian education; ultimately seeing them both graduate from Loma Linda University with nursing degrees.  He walked both of them down their wedding aisles, administering vows for Cheryl’s ceremony and singing a solo for Debbie’s.

He and Eleanor welcomed each grandchild’s arrival with both daughters and their husbands.   He has conducted most of their dedications, baptisms and weddings. He started a church-based homeschool at Magalia, and ultimately all 5 of his grandchildren attended it for some of their elementary years, some of them graduating from it for their 8th or 12th grade years.

In the past few years, Chet was able to greet, hold, kiss and admire his two great-grandchildren: Emma and Markus.

When his girls were young, he found ways to combine business trips with family vacations.  Cheryl remembers a road trip through Texas for some meetings where the family visited the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest and Carlsbad Caverns among many other locations.  Once, Chet reported seeing a giant hand walking on the road.  The family thought he was hallucinating on the late night dive…until they learned the size of actual tarantulas.

Cheryl remembers the legendary trip crossing the US border, through a portion of Canada.  The family poodles had come along, and Tammy, the poodle matriarch, had delivered a fresh batch of puppies on the trip.  With no papers for the pups, the decision was made to hide the dogs in the laundry basket at the border.  So Chet was party to bringing illegal alien dogs into our country!

Chet joined his wife and daughters in the preservation and enjoyment of the produce of God’s productive earth. Applesauce was made from Placerville Apples, Tomatoes were preserved from Lodi and quarts and quarts of fresh grape juice, steamed from gleanings in Lake and Napa counties.  Debbie would mark the vines where the pickers had missed, and Chet and Kris would come along and fill the buckets.  Later, he joined in processing the harvest; and was the “official earwig killer” for the bugs that would emerge from the clusters being washed.

Chet was a good athlete and lived an active lifestyle most of his life. He liked to hike and take walks.  For a while in La Sierra, he was in a  bowling league with Eleanor.  While there, he played many games of racquetball with his daughter and church friends.   In the late 80’s, he took up the game of golf, and played many 9-hole rounds with his daughter and son-in-law.  And he always enjoyed a good game of gnip-gnop...better known as ping-pong.

Chet loved to play table games and card games too.    On long car trips with Eleanor and the girls, Chet would join in a family game of Rook, keeping one hand on the wheel and both eyes on the road (most of the time.)  On more than one occasion, a card from the hand in his hand was sucked out the window. The 5 of yellow is somewhere in Texas, another card is remembered to be in Utah and another one is…who knows where!?  He enjoyed many games of Farkle on Saturday nights with Bob Warner and friends in McKinleyville.  There were other games of UNO and Probe (usually played with Bible words on Sabbath afternoons.)

On his last Saturday and Sunday nights of life, August 11 and 12, Chet was able to join his wife Eleanor, his son-in-law Kris and granddaughter Rebekah in a few games of Rook. While Debbie manipulated his cards, he made all the decisions about his game play.  He specifically requested to play again Sunday evening, having enjoyed the Saturday night game.  “It is a nice diversion” he said.  Plus, he experienced another priceless moment of having some of the members of his beloved family right next to him.   

In what would be his last ROOK game, he had a mischievous twinkle in his eye, as he used the good first hand he was dealt...to intentionally set Rebekah and Eleanor.  He trumped in on a trick, taking 35 points, and “the guys” ultimately scored 110 points, without taking the bid!  “Grandpa!,” Rebekah in mock shock wailed, much to his delight.  The women would start his last Rook game at minus 145 and never recover..  He also took the bid twice...and the men won handily 555 to 110.  And that’s your family game report for today.  Chet was still very much a part of his family. Even at the end, he was just joyfully and mischievously being himself.

Bob Warner, a good friend in Mckinleyville, also got him involved in combing the beach for agates.  It was after a storm or on a relaxing Sabbath afternoon that Chet would join these friends or visiting family at Agate Beach - usually on their hands and knees in a pebble deposit - looking for these natural, translucent baubles.  He amassed quite a collection of all different sizes.

Chet and Eleanor were able to travel to many locations within the U.S. and Canada; and a few trips across our Southern border as well.  There were trips to New York and Michigan and Florida to see Eleanor’s family.  There were several cruises with family and friends, and of course the long family road trips when his girls were young.

Additionally, they enjoyed a December 1999 trip to Israel/Jordan/Egypt with Debbie and Kris Widmer, sponsored by his employing conference.  Long days of bus rides were punctuated by walking and floating in some of the places Jesus walked and floated - a treat for any lover of Bible stories.  He swam in the Dead Sea, rode a camel up Jebel Musa (seeing the sunrise from the top), and took communion at the garden tomb. 

Chet had many practical skills.  He knew PVC pipe, putting in several sprinkler systems and also simple concrete work. He coached Kris and Debbie on building garage shelves, putting in this storage solution into their homes in Lakeport, Redding and Antioch.  That was after he had built them in his homes in McKinleyville and Magalia. With shovel and pick…and often on his hands and knees - he landscaped paths and steps in his Magalia back yard using bricks and mortar.  And he knew how to use a chainsaw, split the logs and could bring in a couple cords of wood for the winter.

In retirement, Chet became a “farmer.”  He and Doc Jensen, a beloved parishioner friend, would plant a large garden on the Jensen property and enjoy the fruits and vegetables of their labors.  Since Dr. and Mrs. Jensen’s deaths, Ted Williams, their nephew, has been a special support to Chet, calling him weekly on the phone for conversation and prayer. Thank you, Ted, for this ministry!

Illness Years

Chet was aware that God blessed him with lots of extra time in life.  At the age of 51, he had heart bypass surgery.  He changed his diet (we’d bring his cheese to the pizzeria) and lifestyle and that helped him live well and longer, along with the numerous nutritional supplements he would try. But pastoral work can be stressful and take a heavy toll on the body.  He had 2 stents placed in his heart the week after his retirement Sabbath.  Later, he had 4 more cardiac stents placed, for a total of six. But he faced these challenges with faith, hope and love…and good humor.

You heard Rebekah speak of her Grandpa’s powerful curative potions, that he would offer as home cures for the colds and flus of his family members.  Chet would research pills, potions and tinctures and take these himself to give him a boost in healthful living, in addition to his vegetarian diet and drug free lifestyle.  They must have done some good for he outlived the life-span of his father, his mother and his sister – 82 years + - a goal he was so happy to have reached.

When we all finally realized that his slowdown was due to Parkinson’s  Syndrome, he helped us all laugh through that too.  The lethargy of his lift chair soon matched the slowness of his movements…and so he called himself “The Sloth.” He loved the sloth DMV worker in the movie Zootopia, and he loved to tell the sloth joke Kris shared with him in April.  (A sloth was attacked by three turtles.  The parrot police person asked “Can you tell me what happened?”  The sloth replied “I - can’t - remember -.  It - all - happened - so - fast.”)

In August 2017, he was admitted to the hospital with Aspiration Pneumonia and a feeding tube was placed.  Chet’s last meal was not his wife’s beloved Spaghetti or Eggplant Parmesan…but hospital food.  (Hospital food should be gourmet food, understanding it is likely someone’s last meal!) This was a difficult burden to bear for someone who had a sweet tooth, threw M&M’s in his wife’s direction, and loved to eat.  He’d say, “You can call me anything...just don’t call me late for dinner.”

Should you ask Chet “How are you?”  He’d likely say “Oh, just as grouchy as ever.”  But Chet was seldom, if ever grouchy!  He always had a greeting for children and adults alike and he loved to banter with people: in the store or restaurant, the medical office, the church and the neighborhood.

He continually expressed appreciation to the attentive daily care of Eleanor during the past year, as well as his daughter’s who visited as often as distance and schedule allowed.

He loved God.  He loved the Bible.  He was inspired by the writings of Ellen White.  His devotional habit was to spend an hour reading, memorizing and praying.  He carried over his use of the red pen from book sales into his study, using it to underline and emphasize meaningful portions.

Concluding Thoughts (Kris Widmer’s Devotional Thought)

It has been said that an individual could possibly experience three deaths:  The first one is the physical death, the second one is when they are buried, and the third one when nobody speaks their name anymore.  The loved ones of Chet Shumaker are determined that he will NEVER experience this last death.  We will remember him often with great fondness and great love.   We have “the blessed hope” that we will see him…later.  To which we can hear the echo of his quip “Not unless I see you first.”

Malachi 3 promises: “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession (my jewels KJV). I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.”  Apparently, God is very nepotistic towards us.  They treat us as a father/mother would their beloved child.  Doting.  Overlooking.  And they are O.K. with that.  And in fact we are all God’s children. And God considers us so very precious… valuable…like a precious jewel.

In Washington DC’s Smithsonian Institution is the “The Hope Diamond”  45.52 Carat Weight. (.32 ounces).  16 white diamonds surround it.  Another 46 diamonds are in the chain.  It is stunning!   It is not worn today….but is on display in a guarded case in a guarded museum.  Alarms will sound if a theft is attempted.

Now, picture teams of angels guarding each grave of his saints. Chet’s grave.   Perhaps they take shifts.  There is the famous and dignified changing of the military guard at the tomb of the unknowns.  And then there is the not so famous but equally magnificent guard at the tomb of the knowns...every saint…including Chet Shumaker.

Adventist inspiration reads (the quote is in the program) “The Life-giver will call up his purchased possessions in the first resurrection, and until that triumphant hour, when the last trump shall sound and the vast army shall come forth to eternal victory, every sleeping saint will be kept in safety and will be guarded as a precious jewel, who is known to God by name.  By the power of the Saviour that dwelt in them while living and because they were partakers of the divine nature, they are brought forth from the dead.”  Ellen White:  Maranatha, October 19, Page 300.

Chet has been a son, a grandson, a brother, a husband, a father, a grandpa, a great-grandpa, nephew, uncle, mentor, pastor and friend.  We will miss him. Truly “The Blessed Hope”…is our only hope…and it is our hope today.  May God bless us with their peace and comfort this day…until that final day. 

Were he to hear us make such a statement, he would likely say “Is that a promise or a threat?”   It’s a promise, Chet:  It’s a promise Dear, Papa, Daddy, Dad, Grandpa.  It’s a promise, pastor.  It’s a promise we make, based on the cross and empty tomb of Christ; a promise based on the love, grace and mercy of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – Amen…and amen..

Author’s Note:

Having written many such life sketches for parishioners, this is the longest life sketch to date that I have ever written.  But then I have had several years to anticipate this day coming.  And, it is for a man I have known and loved for 44 years of my 58 years of life, and have loved like my own father.