Grave-side Service for Pop Rock
by Michael J Manley June 24, 2020
In a real sense, Pop, himself is going to speak to us here today as we celebrate His life, as we put his worn-out body to rest even though he is more alive today than ever before. We are going to hear from him because of and “end of life” file he left for us. Back in 2015, Pop updated his obituary. He was 91 and stated that each day is one closer to my last, here. He included Psalm 23 with this obituary showing that this Psalm was very important to him. So today, I am going to combine Pop’s words and his Lord’s Words at this important time of our family’s celebration of His life.
Psalm 23 pictures life as deeply secure and richly blessed. It offers us a panorama of what life can be when lived with awareness of God’s intimate love for us. This picture of life lived in God’s care touches our deepest longings and speaks directly to our darkest fears. Perhaps that is why we return to this Psalm over and over. Over the years of ministry, I counseled people with depression to read this Psalm aloud every day for one month. The positive results in peoples’ lives was astounding. It obviously was important to Pop as it goes along with his oft repeated testimony of how he gave his life to Christ Jesus at age 5 as his Mama was taking him to church. And dozens of times I personally. as well as many of you heard him tell this story of how the Lord had been with him and led him every step of the way including the angels of the Lord protecting him during the war. Of course, he loved to joke about the fact his Mom took him to the Christian Church, so therefore he was a Christian before He was a Baptist. I think Pop felt Psalm 23 summed up his life and testimony of how the Lord was with him and led him every step of the way. And with humility, he would state that he had been blessed with a long career and loving family beyond any man. So, I will combine his own written obituary and his special Word from the Lord.
Pop’s words with the dates filled in: “Claude Herndon Rock Jr was born on June 19, 1923 and passed from this life on June 21, 2020 on Father’s Day, two days after his 97th birthday. He was born to Claude Herndon Rock, Sr. and Anna Mary Witherspoon Rock at home, 345 Dunning Ave., San Antonio, TX. He had three siblings, two brothers, Jesse Herndon, and William Thomas and one sister, Margaret Lucille. They were 9 to 15 years older than Claude Jr. All the family pre-deceased him.”
The Lord’s Words - “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” He is the God who shepherds us from birth to our last moment here on earth. He is faithful to meet every possible need in our lives. “He Makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters”. God invites us to rest in Him and be secure in our story and history. Pops’ family history was so important to him that it was a huge part of his obituary as written.
Pop’s story continues: “Around 1900 the Rock family was farming close to Wichita Falls, they and several other families decided to sell out and move to south Texas so they bought many acres of brush land 7 miles east of Cotulla, TX on the Nueces River, loading all mules, horses, equipment, furniture on a train and moved. They used Mexican labor, grubbed the brush, built a concrete dam across the river, installed four six- inch pumps above the dam, and put in irrigated onions. They built five houses, a school, barns, fences and called it the community of Rockwood. Claude Sr. had married his Oklahoma sweetheart in 1907 and by 1916 the family had grown by 3 kids who needed to go to school which was not available at Rockwood, so he moved them to San Antonio, found a good job, bought a home and put the kids in school. By 1933, Claude Sr. wanted to go back to the farm so he bought a 500 acre ranch located on the west end of Rockwood. The house was original, two story, 10 rooms, old but livable, no electricity or water inside. He leased 1,000 acres of adjoining pasture, bought 100 head of beef cows, 32 Jersey cows, built a milk house, bottling and selling milk in Cotulla.
Continuing in Psalm 23 - “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” God guides us and is with us. As Pop would look back and reflect, he knew God’s hand was preparing for him and was on him all the way.
Pop’s words continue: “Claude Jr. rode the bus to Cotulla school, had lots of work experience on the ranch, wanted to be a cowboy. Graduated from 11th grade at 16; wanted to go to college at Texas A&M. His Dad talked him into staying home one year, to work and save money and then go to school. He entered A&M September 1941, Class of 1945. His major was Animal Husbandry. Military was “G Infantry” Dorm 5. Hitler was rampant, the Japanese hit Pearl and A&M went to three semesters per year. Claude Jr quit school December 1942, went home and volunteered for the draft and was in Anti-aircraft Artillery, 90 mm guns, stationed in San Francisco for one year. No Japanese planes came over, so they put him in infantry basic replacement training for six weeks in North, Texas, then gave him a two week furlough home. There he went to a church meeting one night, met a pretty 14year-old preacher’s daughter who was playing the piano, who, four years later married him. - As He prepares to go to war -
We harken back to Psalm 23: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” My suspicion is that Psalm 23 became very important especially then.
Pop continues: Claude Jr. goes to war as a replacement, was off-loaded in France, Omaha Beach, 90 days after “D” Day, placed in Anti-Aircraft Artillery, an ammo handler on an M-51, 450 caliber Machine-guns on a trailer that fired 2400 rounds per minute in General Patton’s 3rd Army. Claude Jr. was involved in 4 battles, one being the “Battle of the Bulge” using these weapons. After the war he was in Germany for a year in occupation duties, and then was shipped back to Texas and discharged.
Leading us back to the 23rd Psalm: “You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.” He is also the God who heals us. Like a good shepherd, he heals our deepest wounds – replacing our ashes of grief and despair with the oil of gladness. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life”. He is also the God who blesses us. What an extraordinary picture of the future. Pop understands that just as God had cared for him in the past, God would continue to care for him, blessing his life with goodness and love all the days of his life.
Pop continues his story: Claude Jr. goes back to A&M for a year, quits and is back home where the ranch had been sold and family move to Cotulla. He was working as a rough neck in oil drilling when the Veterans Vocational School called saying they could hire him as a Vocational Agriculture teacher on a part-time basis. So, he worked for them teaching for a year and decided that was for him. He married Mary Elizabeth Temple went back to school, got his degree and teaching certificate and by August 1950 applied to Eula High School and was hired. He taught for 35 years, retired, sold real estate for 10 years. Then, He and Beth formed a construction, contracting company and worked another 8 years. Together, they raised 5 kids; Suzie, Fran, Anita, Thomas and Bobby (Robert) and one of Beth’s sisters, Leslie. All have married and have families. We have been blessed with 12 grandkids, 40 great grandkids and 2 great, great grandkids. His closing words - Claude Jr. gives the Lord full credit for a happy, fruitful, satisfying career and family. That is the end of his written obituary and my response is - What a Legacy he leaves!!!
Final words from his Lord: “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever” - He is the God who is our true Home. God is our refuge, God is our dwelling place, God is with us always and we live in God’s love eternally. As Pop peacefully drew his last breath here, we can - Just think of him stepping on shore and finding it heaven. Of touching a hand, and finding it God’s, of breathing new air, and finding it celestial; Of waking up in glory and finding it home. Pop after 97 years of sojourning is finally home. mjm
