J.D. Chastain — a man of honor, integrity, service

He was born on the third of September in 1932. For three days his parents engaged in a debate about what his name would be. While they agreed his middle name would be “Dee,” it was there the concurrence ended. His mother preferred his first name to be “Jesse,” while his father liked “Jehu,” a tribute to his grandfather, who had helped raise him as a child.

Finally, a compromise was reached. His first name was shortened to a single initial – “J” – while the “Dee” was kept. Later the “Dee” itself was also shortened to a single initial – “D.” Thus, the child had a name he would spend the rest of his life explaining stood for … nothing.

You probably didn’t know J.D. Chastain. He was quiet, and unassuming. He didn’t tend to inject himself into conversations or other peoples’ lives without being asked. He wasn’t very ambitious. He never ran for public office. He preferred to take care of business behind the scenes, out of sight and often out of mind. He was content with that. That was his way. (You could contrast his style with that of his wife, Carrie. I would be surprised to find someone in the Siloam community who didn’t know her. She is the type of person who never meets strangers, and will talk to you for a lengthy period of time as if she were your best friend, even if she just met you.)

J.D. Chastain was a man of honor, integrity and service. While he was not particularly dynamic or flamboyant, he was a man you listened to and respected when he spoke. And when he spoke, more often than not, he was going to say something you needed to hear. I recall once discussing a decision I had made that I came to believe had been a mistake. Laconically, but resolutely, he said, “Son, the time for doubts is past. You need to kill the alternatives and move forward.” Believe it or not, those two sentences, spoken so slowly and so clearly, changed the course of my life.

Last week J.D. Chastain left us. You probably didn’t know that either. But if you sensed that this world was missing something that had been there before, that might have been the reason. There’s a big empty space where he used to stand, and that space won’t be filled again this side of the eternity.

And while those of us who knew him are hurting right now, we know that we will someday see him again, in a place of complete and infinite beauty and peace.

Thanks for everything, Dad. See you on the other side.