They buried my friend today. It was far too soon. He was only 59.
The chapel at the funeral home overflowed. Some 200 people attended. The faces in the crowd reflected my friend’s life: People of all ages, of different ethnicities, showed up to pay their final respects.
John Shiohira was a man who deserved respect. He earned it every day by the way that he lived.
John devoted his life to serving others. He did it because he first dedicated his life to God. I’ve never met a kinder, gentler man. He was quiet in spirit but dogged in his determination to make a difference in the world.
And he did.
John was called to the mission field at a young age. He needed money to go but didn’t have it. He kept the faith. God provided.
While serving as a missionary in Thailand John met a young Thai woman named Nonglak. He once shared with me how he wooed her. He said he first had to win over her father. Skeptical of the young American, it took time for Nonglak’s father to warm up to him. John had to earn his trust and respect. Once he did – and only then – was he allowed to court Nonglak.
John and Nonglak returned to the United States on sabbatical not long after they married. She had to be trained for the mission field. They fully intended to go back. They never did. Instead, they found a new mission field – a new life – here in America.
They raised two sons together, Jonathan and Jedediah. They moved to north Georgia and took care of their extended family. John got a job at Walmart. Though not the mission field he’d envisioned, God used him inside that big box store. Upon hearing the news of John’s death his former colleagues spoke of his kindness, generosity and life-changing impact.
John eventually left Walmart to became an ESOL and GED instructor at North Georgia Tech. His wife joined him. Together they taught hundreds of international students who now call Habersham home. They taught them English, civics and math. They prepared students to become U.S. citizens. They worked in their church and in our community. John was an active board member of Volunteers for Literacy of Habersham County. He eagerly shared his knowledge, but more than that, he sacrificially shared his heart.
John Shiohira was so much more than a teacher – he was a mentor, a counselor, a friend. He welcomed immigrants into a community that didn’t always embrace them. He showed them compassion that bridged the ethnic divide. He pulled Habersham’s immigrants out of the shadows into the light of friendship, hope and opportunity. John not only helped his students achieve, he also helped them believe…in their dreams, in Jesus and others. He served on the mission field we call Habersham County and he lit it on fire with brotherly love.
That love was returned ten-fold today as people came from all over to say their goodbyes to this witty, self-effacing, selfless man. The stream of cars that rode in his funeral procession stretched on for nearly a mile. It was amazing to witness, yet, so sad to see.
They buried my friend today.
I said my final goodbye tonight at his grave. I know he’s not there, his spirit’s now free, his pain and his suffering have ended. My heart rejoices in that, still, I miss him, so many people do. Nonglak misses her husband of 33 years. Jonathan and Jed miss their father. The list of those missing John Shiohira is varied and long. He touched our lives and, in so doing, changed our small corner of the world.
I can’t begin to imagine how the void left by his death will be filled. I can pray that there are others out there who are willing to step in where John had to step off: Kindred souls who understand, like John so obviously did, that no matter our color, our language or culture we’re all worthy of love and acceptance because we’re all children of God.
