Mom's Memos, Musings, & iMages: Grandpa Bingham, My Daddy

Dear Kids and Grandchildren,

In my Bible I have a bookmark that reminds me to pray for the newborn son of parents from Castle Rock Baptist Church in Tucson. The prayer is “that God would uphold your son in his integrity and set him before His face forever Ps. 41:12, and that like Job he would be called blameless, upright, one who fears God and shuns evil, one who holds fast to his integrity Job 2:3.” I not only pray that for their newborn son, but I pray that for my sons and grandsons and what examples you have in your father and grandfathers!

Because of the anniversary of Daddy’s death nine years ago at the age of nearly 96, I’ve been thinking about him and thanking the Lord for my godly heritage. On his 90th birthday, your Aunt Mary made a memory scrapbook and had each of his children and grandchildren contribute their memories. The memory book is at Aunt Muriel’s, but I have some of the pages copied, which I’ll share in this blog. Though lengthy, I trust you will enjoy being reminded of him--but not just that, I trust that you will be challenged by his life—especially you boys. What traits to emulate!

Robert J. Bingham March 5, 1904 - February 10, 2000

"The fourth son of five sons and two daughters. Born on the plains of South Dakota in the small claim house. The house moved to the 160-acre claim of government land. Resident required to live on and improve for five years before ownership granted before U.S. signed by U.S. President McKinley. Life was hard with severe days of heat and wind and lack of moisture in growing season. Real cold winters and blizzard conditions in winter with loss of livestock and lives of people." (Taken from his journal)

Marlene’s Page of Memories on the occasion of Daddy’s 90th birthday, March 5, 1994

"The just man walketh in his integrity; his children are blessed after him” Proverbs 20:7.

This verse describes Daddy. Though the spotlight here seems to be upon a man, may I emphasize before penning these lines that it is but by God’s grace that he is what he is, therefore, pointing to God’s glory. God gave him a wonderful helpmeet who has stood by him through thick and thin. They are one. Daddy loves the Lord. He is an unassuming, unselfish, righteous-living honest, humble man with a quiet spirit and sense of humor. His life has been his family. I’m proud to be his daughter. Here are some of my memories capitalizing on my childhood days:

Daddy is all of the following and more:

THOUGHTFUL—bringing Valentines to all of us when we lived in the house on Federal Blvd;
HARD-WORKING—going to work at Remington Arms; going to work at the greenhouse—what fun to walk there to have lunch with him! (I think he walked to work both places);
FUN-LOVING--walking the babysitter home with me at his side, he would give a little sneak backside kick as we were walking along pretending someone else was kicking me;
ENTERPRISING—buying his own food-distributing business from Mr. Stanek—he stored stale goods in the root cellar where the mice enjoyed the stash and I was afraid to retrieve anything from that room;
INDUSTRIOUS—raising rabbits in the garage on 35th Ave. and having a victory garden;
ORGANIZED—doing bookwork after coming home each evening and then falling asleep on the rocking chair and snoring while attempting to read the newspaper;
TIRELESS—working six days a week and never taking a day off unless it was the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s;
FAMILY-CENTERED—taking the family to the mountains early on the Fourth of July to beat the traffic and to return in time to spend a good part of the day working on the house; taking us kids by turns on his Thursday mountain route in the summers;
PERSEVERING—taking a side job of selling vitamins to help make ends meet;
DEPENDABLE—borrowing my babysitting money to bank on Monday mornings to meet the wholesale bill and always paying it back as soon as possible;
APT TO TEACH—taking me to school in the truck and giving me driving pointers when I rode with him—“Never follow too closely…”
CONSISTENT—having daily family devotions before breakfast from the time we lived on Bryant St. (and maybe before) until the present;
FAITHFUL—never missing church services and taking us to church in the “nut truck”—we sat on boxes in the back;
DEVOUT—being a deacon; displaying the fruits of the Spirit in his daily walk;
ENCOURAGING—including me in his holiday nut business;
GENEROUS-- letting us girls take the family car to college and with Mother’s help, aiding us financially in college and our family on the mission field;
LOVING—welcoming into his extended family another son-in-law and, in time, our nine children;
CONGENIAL—always being so hospitable on our numerous, though far-between, visits;
LIBERAL—taking in our large family for extended times and our college kids for semesters at a time;
PATIENT—never showing impatience with family, friends, or nature;
LOVER OF NATURE—enjoying nurturing the beauty of God’s handiwork by working in his yard and garden and on campus;
PROUD—in good sense—taking pride in his family and flowers.

Tributes from the rest of our family

Son-in-law Ron
“The fear of the Lord prolongeth days” Proverbs 10:27.

To my father-in-law on his 90th birthday. Modest, patient, slow to anger, honest, plodder, steady, dependable, loyal, principled—all are attributes of my father-in-law. I have not known him to lash out in anger, although I know there are things that make him angry. I have not known him to waver in his commitment to Christ. To my knowledge, he has never been guilty of “evil speaking.” The wise man of Proverbs said, “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children….” Certainly that has been true for our nine children! We generally don’t choose our in-laws; they come with the territory. But if we did, I couldn’t make a better choice than the one the Lord gave me. Happy Birthday!
Valerie
My earliest memory of Grandpa Bingham is when we visited in Denver, Colorado, when I was five. He let me choose anything I wanted from his candy truck. One of the latest outstanding memories is the time two years ago when at 88 years of age he was out helping me jumpstart my car. Then there are lots of memories in-between that words can’t describe. Grandpa has a lot of spunk and wit! He’s great!
Hudson
During my years as a student at BJU (1979-85), I had many occasions to sit down and listen to Grandpa Bingham chat with me about the past, especially about the days of his youth. I would always listen with fascination and wonder if I would remember the details well enough to pass the story onto the next generation. Grandpa’s stories were of the old days when times were tough, men were men, and it took sheer guts and determination to overcome life’s obstacles. How his father lost the new family home after being cheated by a man he trusted will be a story I’ll always remember. I was always amazed that Grandpa could tell stories that were ¾ of a century old with so much clarity!
Vicky
When I had my fourth birthday, Grandpa opened his “candy truck” and let each of us Blough and Murr cousins pick out a treat. I picked out M & M’s.--Grandpa Bingham is a generous man. When I was ten, I had flu and Grandpa cared for me when everyone went away. He got out a big stack of scrapbooks and let me browse all I wanted.--Grandpa is a kind and caring man. When I was 22, Grandpa met my boyfriend, Kevin Daniels, and said, “We think he’s a fine young man.”--Grandpa is a wise man. After we were married and went to the mission field, we knew that everyday Grandpa and Grandma were praying for us.--Grandpa is a faithful man. We thank the Lord for a wonderful grandpa!
Carey
Noone who has been around Grandpa can disagree that he has dedicated his life to beautifying the lives of others. He has done everything from farmer to salesman to florist and his great spirit and love for the Lord have overflowed to all those around him. Happy Birthday, Grandpa, we love you!
Beatrice
Dear Grandpa, Thank you for all the hours you’ve spent with me throughout my life. I have sweet memories of staying at your house in Greenville. I always look forward to our “flower walk” outside, and I loved listening to the wonderful stories of your boyhood and courtship with Grandma. Your godly testimony is a constant challenge to me, and I love you with all my heart. You’re the youngest “90” I know. Happy Birthday! P.S. I can’t wait to see you here in Alaska. I'm going to take you four-wheeling!
Judson Blough
When I grow up to be 90 I want to be just like Grandpa. He acts like a teenager sometimes. Just a few of the things I admire about Grandpa are his patience, his wit, and the way he works hard. His reputation as a great man and hard worker is left behind him by those with whom he worked. I know, because I work on the ground crew where Grandpa worked for years until he retired at the young age of 87. Happy Birthday, Grandpa!
Becky
The best word for Grandpa is “incredible.” He’s 90 years old and acts half his age. Grandpa impresses me in many ways, but the thing that impresses me most is his consistent walk with the Lord through the years. When I stayed with Grandpa and Grandma in January I had the most special time. Every morning at about 6:15, Grandma would have breakfast ready and the three of us would sit up. Grandma would then read from Our Daily Bread and Grandpa would read from the Scriptures. It was very special for me to be in on their family devotions. The importance they put in daily devotions together is a tremendous example to me as I begin my adult life. It is a memory that will remain with me forever. Grandpa has been a wonderful example to me, and I want to strive to have the sweet spirit, humor, consistency, and hard-working life that Grandpa has. He proves that just because one is old, he doesn’t have to be cranky! Happy 90th, Grandpa! I love you.
Paton
One of my best memories of Grandpa took place a few years ago when I was visiting in Greenville. Grandpa and Grandma were going away for a few days, so they had me mow the grass and water the plants. I watered a couple of them several times before realizing they were plastic. When Grandma and Grandpa came home, Grandpa asked me if I kept the two plants out front watered well like he had asked. I told him that he got me pretty good, and we all had a good laugh. Thank you for all the wonderful memories, Grandpa! Have the best birthday ever. I love you.

ANOTHER MEMORY

I'll never forget how touched Mother was one year when I gave Daddy a card for Father's Day with a poem by Edgar A. Guest, because it so described Daddy. Here it is:

Only a Dad
by Edgar Albert Guest

Only a dad with a tired face,
Coming home from the daily race,
Bringing little of gold or fame
To show how well he has played the game;
But glad in his heart that his own rejoice
To see him come and to hear his voice.

Only a dad with a brood of four,
One of ten million men or more
Plodding along in the daily strife,
Bearing the whips and the scorns of life,
With never a whimper of pain or hate,
For the sake of those who at home await.

Only a dad, neither rich nor proud,
Merely one of the surging crowd,
Toiling, striving from day to day,
Facing whatever may come his way,
Silent whenever the harsh condemn,
And bearing it all for the love of them.

Only a dad but he gives his all,
To smooth the way for his children small,
Doing with courage stern and grim
The deeds that his father did for him.
This is the line that for him I pen:
Only a dad, but the best of men.

Nostalgic Pictures