Thoughts and Memories of Chris

This is the eulogy I gave celebrating Chris' life:

Today, I fully admit I’m a very selfish person. There are so many people who could have spoken today, but I selfishly asked Judith for the opportunity. Thank you Judith.

I’m here to honor one of the most wonderful men I’ve ever known. There may be a lot of men people consider “great”. The man I’m talking about didn’t invent electricity. He didn’t win a noble peace prize, though sometimes he could have. He didn’t stop global warming. He wasn’t rich or famous.

But having known him makes all of us much richer. And going by the number of people who have called, emailed, posted messages on facebook, and visited, maybe he was famous after all.

As Judith can tell you, they couldn’t go anywhere that someone didn’t know him. I know I can be somewhere out and about and 9 times out of 10 someone will come up to me and ask “Aren’t you Chris Cheek’s sister?” Now, being from a small town, a lot of us probably get that. But just by the number of people who have expressed their love and sympathies over the last few days is a testament to how great Chris really was. Aren’t you proud to know him?

The other night at the hospital, me and Chris and Judith were talking. I was telling her about when he was a kid. He used to make this cute little face and say “Remarkable!”

Remarkable. That’s the perfect word for him.

When Tracy and I were in school, we were in the same grade. Just a couple of years after Chris was born, one of our school projects was to write a poem. Daddy helped us write one. Now, Daddy was a wonderful poet. He got that from his Mom. And it was passed on to Chris. And luckily, since we had different teachers, we just wrote the one poem to share. I doubt nowadays you could do that. But anyway, it went something like this:

I have a little brother and his name is Chris
Before Mama got his hair cut, people thought he was a miss.
He’s a cute little fellow and as sweet as pie.
He’s got a great big smile and a twinkle in his eye.
I want all you folks to know, including my mother,
I’m just proud to say, he’s my baby brother.

Everything written 30 years ago still applies today. Cute. Sweet. The big smile. That twinkle in his eye. And the pride we feel for having him as a brother.

I’ve always been proud of Chris. But never was I more proud of him than last night. People paid their respects to him for over 6 hours. It makes me so proud to know he had such a positive impact on so many lives.

Through the years, there have been some “well-meaning” folks who expressed concern over Chris’ size over the years. They were “concerned” for his health. Well, besides the diverticulitis problem, he was probably one of the healthiest people among us. He wasn’t diabetic. He didn’t have high blood pressure. His cholesterol was better than probably most of ours here. Before the clots affected him, there was not a thing wrong with his heart. His heart. It was so big and full of love.

He was healthy as a horse. Heck, he could walk the back 9 at Chickasaw Point carrying a golf bag without getting winded. They asked me to tag along to take pictures once. I used a cart.

During a trip to Helen, GA once, with a bunch of healthy youth, we visited Anna Ruby Falls. It was about a half mile walk up the hill to the waterfall. The first one there? Chris. The rest of us were struggling. He and Judith honeymooned in Helen 4 years ago. Just a couple weeks ago, they were able to celebrate their 4th anniversary in Helen. And, yes, Chris made it to the top of Anna Ruby Falls.

My thoughts are, God made Chris into the big ole bulky teddy bear he was to make him more memorable. Whether someone ever spoke to him or not, merely his presence was enough to make him memorable. Not counting his quick smile. And that little bit of mischief that was always lingering, ready to pounce. The ready hug he had for those he loved. He was the most giving, kind hearted soul you will ever know. Just knowing him makes your life much richer, much brighter and more joyous.

I know I’ve told some of you this already, but I’ve been thinking about what life means. It can be so many things to so many people. When you’re a baby, it’s all about adults making idiots of themselves goo’ing and gaa’ing over you. As a toddler, life is learning to walk and talk and explore new things. When you get into kindergarten and grade school, it’s about making sure you get the best swing at recess. In middle school and high school, it starts being about the right clothes and the coolest friends. As an adult, the list is endless.

But to Chris, life was all about family and love. As Tim said many times, to Chris, a stranger was just a friend he hadn’t met yet. And with Chris, you always knew where you stood. If he loved you, you knew it without a shadow of a doubt. Don’t get me wrong, he had those moments, he was a Cheek after all, but five minutes later he was his old, lovable self again.

He loved his family more than anything else in this world. His Daddy was his hero. He thought his Papa hung the moon. And his Mama? Well, let’s just say, you don’t mess with his Mama. Or Jonathan. Or his sisters. Or any of his family. Or friends who became family.

And the person he loved with every fiber of his being was Judith. It’s the sweetest, most complete love I’ve ever seen. And the best part about that love is that Judith returned it fully and completely. If you got a program today*, you can see the depths of that love. He wrote that poem for her about 2 weeks ago for their 4th anniversary.

Judith, four years is such a short time, but I can guarantee you will feel his unfailing love and those strong teddy bear arms around you for the rest of your life.

And now, you’re stuck with us. Once you’re a Cheek, whether by birth, by marriage or just by love, you’re a Cheek for life. You’re my sister for the rest of our lives. And I promise to love you and take care of you for the rest of my life.

I was thinking about the rain this morning. With Chris’ sense of humor, I can imagine him saying, “What are you crying for? You want water, have some rain!” He doesn’t want us to cry right now. He wants us to celebrate life. He wants us to be happy for him.

Brian and I have decided we’re jealous. I want to see what he’s seeing right now. Can you imagine the welcome Chris got in Heaven? I know Daddy was the one who carried him in. I can imagine Jesus was there to say, “Chris, welcome home son. Have I got a job for you!” I know he had so many family and friends there to meet him. Aren’t you jealous?

His job now is to watch over the ones he loved so much. Judith, you know your teddy bear is always there. Watching you and loving you.

Now, I beg all of you, take your best memory of Chris, place in your heart and share it with others. Whatever it was that he brought to your life, he would want you to share with others. Please do that in celebration of him.



*There was a poem in the program written by Chris for Judith for their 4th anniversary.


Now, I know I've shared this on Facebook and a bulletin board I frequent. But I can't think of a better way to honor him today. There's so much more I could say. But this is the Chris we all know and love.

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