BearWaller & WhiteHorse
What I remember about Arty...
Tell us what you remember about Arty
Arty's sister, Cheryl Moore, shared the following at the memorial service on October 21st, 2001
My Pastor, Randy Jones says, "There is only one thing we can take to Heaven
and that is our relationships." And this room is full of relationships. I
am honored to represent Arty's family, share a few cherished memories and
tell you what this wonderful man meant to us.
Our mother, B Price, was excited and waiting to see her newborn son when the
doctor came in and announced to her that "he didn't give a snap of his finger
for Arty's life". She was devastated and when her dad, Sam Budge, found her
crying, she told him the doctors prognosis. Grandpa announced that he had
been up all night talking to DOCTOR JESUS, and that Arty was going to be just
fine.
Arty loved to be held and rocked especially by mother & grandpa Budge. They
were his favorite ROCK GROUP.
As a boy, Arty require frequent spankings, and he would be the first to agree
that he was better for it. Arty let it be known, that if it wasn't for his
big sister's keen eye and informant spirit his total number of spankings
would have greatly decreased.
Arty loved Texas tea, coffee milk, roast, rice and gravy, Crab Gumbo and he,
along with Grandpa Budge & Mom could devour an ocean of smoked oysters. Mom
taught Arty all his manners & etiquette, but she did NOT teach him to eat
bugs he learned that all on his own!
Arty & I loved living at SCC's Vanguard University. We were part of our
parent's ministry, sharing our rooms, our food and our parents with those in
need. We tried to keep up with our daddy's fast pace as he worked all over
the campus. He taught us how to use power tools, fix broken things, and
catch lizards and gophers and how to keep a cool head in a challenging
situation. Daddy also taught us the right way to play Rook.
The Music that was playing at the beginning of this service is southern
gospel music and Daddy had it playing every morning as we woke to the smell
of bacon, eggs and coffee.
Twice a year Arty loved going to Texas to visit granny and grandpa Price on
their 42 acre farm where Daddy taught us how to shoot & fish, skin a squirrel
and fry catfish.
Daddy's favorite story of Arty was when Arty was climbing on the Ivy covered
fence in our back yard. Daddy said, Son, DON"T climb on this Ivy!" so Arty
walked down a couple of yards and climbed on "that" Ivy. That was Arty.
On their wedding day our parents established the Price Family Living Creed :
Jesus said unto him, "You shall love the lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. On these commandments hang all the law and prophets." Matt.
22:37-40
Honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as
yourself.
Matt 19:19
Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.
James 4:17
Whoever has this world's goods and sees his brother have need, and shuts up
his bowels of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him? 1John
3:17
Give to him that asks of you, and from him that would borrow of thee turn
not yourself away. Matt 5:42
Arty honored and loved his parents well. He wanted them to be proud of him.
And they are!
Arty was my little brother & my only sibling, but he was my first best
friend. Our family called him Bubba. At last years FCF Family Camp Arty
presented Tammy and me with Otter Pouches he had made for us. Today Tammy and
I wear them proudly and remember the precious man who lovingly made each
stitch.
Bubba and I grew up at this college so if we wanted playmates, we were it!
We would make forts in the field of weeds that is now the baseball field. We
would play "King of the Hill" with the huge piles of sand they used to make
the foundation and mortar for the 7 story dorms. We would stare at the
weird, scary stuff in jars in the science lab. And we would play in the big
fish pond by the married students dorm. We were good friends!
I taught Arty the little I knew on the bass guitar and in the process of
perfecting his gift he blew out more stereo speakers than mom and dad care to
remember. We would play and sing music together for hours.
We stayed close after we started our own families. In the recent years, Arty
and I loved cooking side by side at mom and dad's cabin. I fried the eggs
while he flipped the pancakes. I think we had the closest thing I know of to
"unconditional love". I loved him with no strings attached and I felt that
same love back. He would always say, "I love you, Sis!" and I would say "I
Love You Bubba!"
Chauncey, Arty loved you and loved telling your jokes over and over and over.
Dave, he loved you for loving his sister so well and he so enjoyed making
music with you.
Aunt Bur, he loved you for saving his life when he almost drowned in Uncle
O. Cope's
pool and for hurting more than he did when he got spanked. He never forgot
how you took him out for grooming on his wedding day.
Margarette, he loved visiting with you over coffee and helping you around the
house.
He loved all his Aunts & Uncles and Cousins his Nieces and Nephews, his
Brother and Sister in laws and his brothers and sisters in Christ, BUT,
Tammy was the love of his life. He loved her from the moment he saw her. He
hoped she would have him, but he had his doubts. To his surprise, she said
"yes" and the day they married joined not just two lives, but two friends.
Arty always said that their friendship was the secret of their happy
marriage. They were best friends.
For Tammy's last birthday Arty and the boys surprised her with her heart's
desire, a black thoroughbred horse. He loved for her to be happy, but that
didn't mean he would deny himself the pleasure of teasing her at the
appropriate time or maybe even the "not so appropriate time".)
He never wanted her to cut her long, beautiful hair. I remember many times
when Arty and I would be talking and Tammy was across the room. He would be
distracted and I would watch him as he looked at her. He'd say, Cher, I sure
do love that woman! Men, now that is the kind of love every woman desires.
Arty loved his wife well! He had a servant's heart and he wanted to serve
her.
Arty's legacy lives on in his two sons Richard and Jessie. Our mom put "The
Curse" on Arty when he was a boy, !!!"I hope you have two just like
you!!!" she said, and he did! Jessie has Arty's talent for drawing and
among Richard's talents you find Arty's practical joking nature. But they
both got his good looks, including his great looking scalp!
Arty invested richly into his son's lives. He loved to spend time with them,
supporting them in their endeavors. They lifted weights together and he
helped them with schoolwork and he & the boys often had dinner ready when
Tammy got off work. He didn't miss his boy's Football games or their track
meets and he proudly replayed the videos for whoever would sit still long
enough. Arty & Tammy are their son's greatest fans.
Because Arty was an awesome dad, his main concern for his family was not this
life, but eternity. He wanted his boys to live for Jesus and to love God
with their whole hearts. The Royal Ranger program helped Arty achieve this
goal, while spending quality time with his sons. Tammy encouraged him to do
his ministry and she willingly sacrificed of her time with her husband, her
money and her vacations for the good of her sons and the sons of others.
Arty cherished his boys and his wife. And he loved his future
daughter-in-law, Trish Bruder. He could hardly wait to see little
Price/Bruder kids running up to "Papa Arty".
Richard & Jessie your dad is now part of the great Cloud of Witness, Hebrews
12 talks about. He is still cheering you on to victory! He loved you well!
Richard and Jessie and all you other young men here today, you may feel like
you could never be a great man of God like Arty. An unselfish man with a
servant's heart who wants to help and care for others more than himself.
Remember it was a journey for Arty. He didn't start the race at the finish
line, but he did make a choice to run the race God set before him. He had his
struggles and had to pick himself up when he would fall, but he stayed in the
race.
Today I encourage you to stay in the race. If you have fallen, then pick
yourself up and if you have never started the race, I encourage you to begin
today.
To Arty Price, Jesus Christ was not a crutch, Jesus was and is the Solid
Rock on which Arty Stands!
Our extended family is known to gather with Tammy or Dave at the piano, Arty
playing bass & me on guitar. We love to sing all the good old songs in four
part harmony. I am so thankful for all the wonderful times we shared,
especially in the last two months.
God wasn't surprised that Arty's last day on earth was October 12. He has
known it all along. How gracious God was to us that just one weekend before,
Arty and Tammy helped Dave & myself lead the worship music for the Southern
California Assemblies Women's retreat.
There we were encouraged by the message of our childhood friend, Sherry
Benvenuti, "to run with endurance the race God sets before us, keeping our
eyes on Jesus." She told us, "To Endure means to remain beneath." We who
love Arty must now "remain beneath" the weight of our grieving hearts. But we
know as we carry that weight, we will become even stronger. We will run our
race that God sets before us and touch the lives of those around us, like
Arty, always pointing the way to Jesus who is the Savior of our souls. The
one Arty was longing to see.
While our singers are taking their places, if you know it, join me in a Price
Family mealtime tradition and sing with our family the Doxology.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
Tell us what you remember about Arty