When JD first came to work in Stamping in 1990 I had no idea how close we would eventually become. He arrived from the Whirlpool Corporation up the road in LaVergne. Originally he was from Michigan the same as me. So we knew about a lot of the same things and of course we were both Yankees.
JD eventually had friends from Whirlpool join him, Ed and John, Bobby came from Mississippi, Tim from North Dakota we were a tight group within our Department. We would play Solitaire and swap stories at break and lunch or whenever we had the time. Always laughing and cutting up. JD and some of the others liked to hoist a few mostly more now than then. Me being a Deacon, I never joined in that part of the fun, although I probably should have. The ones that liked beer always made it to work the next night. I was the first to make it to day shift. We always kept up with each other. My boys were close to the same age as his girls. He went on juvenile hunts with us in the fall we had a great time, never shot any deer but lots of good eating and great stories.
Eventually his wonderful wife Alma became ill, very ill. That shook up his life, it made him take stock, he decided he needed to be a Christ follower. That is what his life revolves around now, Jesus and others. JD can talk to a wall and get a reaction out of it. I always told him that if I ever started a church he would be in charge of evangelism. He knows everybody. I went to his ordination as a deacon. It was a very moving service. Now he goes out on visitation and keeps the building maintained at his church. It is very obvious he turned a way toward Jesus. A radical change. So now it is twenty years since I first met him and he is retiring from Nissan. He is the last of that group of those new hires from 1990. Life will be different now in my remaining two months before I leave also. I am praying for the best for him and his family. They were the first members of my Belgium support team. JD and Alma God has great things in store for you! Blessings!
