Welcome everyone. Thank you so much for coming today. Carl and I wanted to share a few memories about our Dad before the service started.
I wanted to start off by reading this lovely poem that I saw recently.
---------
Train of Life
At birth, we boarded the train of life and met our parents, and we believed that they would always travel by our side. However, at some station, our parents would step down from the train, leaving us on life's journey alone.
As time goes by, some significant people will board the train: siblings, other children, friends, and even the love of our life.
Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum. Others will go so unnoticed that we won't realize that they vacated their seats! This train ride has been a mixture of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells.
A successful journey consists of having a good relationship with all passengers, requiring that we give the best of ourselves. The mystery that prevails is that ... Read morewe do not know at which station we ourselves will step down. Thus, we must try to travel along the track of life in the best possible way -- loving, forgiving, giving, and sharing.
When the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty -- we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who continue to travel on the train of life.
And let’s remember to thank our God for giving us life to participate in this wonderful train ride.
-----------------
I am so glad that I was on my Dad’s train for 51 years. And thanks to those that joined the train at one time or another. His stop and his step down was so very unexpected for us – but he left so many great memories, and we are so grateful he stepped off on a high note!
We have all loved hearing what others thought of my Dad – and am so happy that it was what we knew of him. The prevailing theme – he was such a kind and gentle and smart person. And several people said he was a “Renaissance Man”. And I totally agree – he loved to learn and knew a lot about everything.
He was so happy in his recent move to Greenspring where he had a big office surrounded by at least 1,000 of his books, all in one room. And most importantly my Dad loved math and data. He had a bachelor and master’s degree in Math. He worked for the Navy using his math skills. And in going through things in his office – we saw that my Dad doodled math everywhere. And he did at least a sudoku a day. I have great memories of him helping us as kids with homework, which he enthusiastically did, and especially of course with math. My high school friends even fondly remember his tutoring us in math. After retirement, he even spent many years tutoring various students – even his grandsons. Just recently he helped Brandon and me with some math homework and sent us detailed descriptions and steps to help us. And he was still the volunteer Treasurer for the Four Corners neighborhood association, which he had been doing for many years.
After grad school with his advanced degree in Mathematics, he met my Mom on their first day of work at US Navy, David Taylor Model Basin as they were both trying to find the math lab! My Mom worked there until I was born. And then, when I was looking for a summer job in college, I decided to apply where my Dad worked. This turned out to be the start of my government career as well, and I eventually worked in the same Directorate with my Dad for the summers and then for 7 years after college. It was a great chance for us to know and see each other in different ways, learn what my Dad did at work, have similar co-workers, etc.

After my Dad retired, he had so much fun taking liberal art classes at the community college. He also loved going to see plays with my Mom, so they both ushered at various local theaters for over 30 years. And he even directed and acted in some community theater plays.
Despite my Dad’s quiet demeanor – he definitely had had a wild and adventurous side …. He loved rollercoasters. Even as recent as about 5- 10 years ago, he was still going on roller coasters and rides at Disney and Universal with my husband and niece and Brandon, and even on the water slides at the water parks. When we were younger, he took us on a hot air balloon ride. He loved to bike – biked to work, biked with friends, biked long distance rides of 100 miles, and biked as a family. He did Hang gliding for a while – and even bought one. I remember playing in fields while my Dad would hang glide off of small hills. He even bought a Unicycle.
He also loved science fiction, and he introduced us to Star Wars as kids. And I was able to take my parents to the new Disney Star Wars theme park in February, right before Covid. And I just took him to the movie theater at Thanksgiving to see the new Dune movie, which he loved.
My Dad was always around and involved when we were younger. We always had family dinners, he made breakfast every Sunday (where I was introduced to and then loved scrapple), he washed the dishes every night for my Mom, and was always willing and around to assist us with our school and homework. And then he continued to be present and involved in my life as a grandfather to Brandon, especially since we lived somewhat close by.
He set such a great example for me of what a father and what a spouse should be. And I am so happy that he met the love of his life, and that he and my Mom had such a wonderful marriage of 53 years – best friends - truly soul mates.
In summary, my Dad had a fun life on that train for 79 years, sharing 55 of those years (70% of his life) with my Mom! He left many great memories for me and for others.
Thanks Dad – love you and you will be missed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you everyone for coming. I’m Carl and I’m Richard Messalle’s son.
My sister Renee just spoke a lot about my Dad and beautifully described what a special and unique person he was. I don’t want to stand up here and repeat the same things she said so I’ll try to add a few things.
Obviously everyone here in attendance knew my Dad in some capacity. Everyone here has their own memories of him. Growing up with my Dad, I have a lot of memories that I certainly cherish. It’s impossible to talk about them all but I’m sure some of them you can relate to in some fashion or another. When we lose someone so dear, memories are all we have left; I will hold on to them and treasure them forever.
– I’ll remember my Dad as one of the most voracious readers I’ve ever met; he had an unquenchable thirst to continue learning throughout his life. Renee mentioned all the formal education he had but in addition to that, he always loved reading a book, looking up information or the challenge of just trying to figure something out. That being said, he would always be willing to put down his book and give you all the time you wanted.
– I’ll remember my Dad for being the one of the smartest guys in the room but absolutely never flaunting it.
—I’ll remember my Dad for babysitting my young son Andrew while Andrew’s Mom and I were both active duty in the US Coast Guard and working crazy schedules. My Dad loved taking walks with young Andrew and showing him simple and fun little things such as jumping in a leaf pile or playing under a garden hose in the hot Washington DC summers. I actually think he tried to teach my young son Pythagorean’s Theorem or Ohm’s Law while he fed him in the high chair but I’m thinking it was a bit too much too early for the young lad to digest.
– I’ll remember my Dad for being quiet, kind and patient. He was a good listener. Partially because he was a courteous man but he was also truly curious to hear what you knew about the topic being discussed.
– I’ll remember my Dad for being successful in the stock market but never wanting to “waste money” on a new car or a fancy designer suit. I think he got more satisfaction out of giving to charity vs. himself.
– I’ll remember my Dad cooking the family big breakfasts of eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, pancakes and toast every Sunday morning and taking us all to Church.
-- I’ll remember my Dad doing the dishes and cleaning up after dinner every night; he said if your Mom is going to cook meals for the family, the least I can do is clean up.
– As with most people who suffer the loss of a loved one, I find myself constantly remembering my Dad when little things come up that remind me of my time with him – like changing out an electrical wall outlet, cutting the grass, teaching my son to drive or watching my son do his Math homework or even when I‘m trimming my beard in the mirror.
– I’ll remember my Dad for being a great husband to my Mom. He loved my Mom so much. They spent 55 years together and honestly I probably never really appreciated how much they deeply loved spending time together until I was grown up and out of the house at college…. (of course, me being out of the house may have had just a little to do with them finally enjoying themselves). I truly believe they were meant to be together. I swear, they were like two peas in a pod. They enjoyed the simplest things together like taking walks, holding hands or watching PBS television shows. It really hit home how much they were in love, when my mom recently told me how much she just missed my Dad’s hugs.
– I know I am running out of time but I could go on and on about my sweet memories of my Dad.
My Dad wasn’t a CEO of a Fortune 500 Company. He wasn’t an astronaut that the world watched walk on the moon. He wasn’t a hall of fame athlete. You all probably know he wasn’t the kind of guy who sat in front of the TV all Sunday watching NFL Football or was out all Saturday golfing with the boys. He was an honest, smart and good man who was true to himself and to what he thought was important in life. I wish there were more people like him because the world would be a better place. I wouldn’t change him for anything. I have great memories of my Dad. I love him and I miss him dearly. Read less

Welcome everyone. Thank you so much for coming today. Carl and I wanted to share a few memories about our Dad before the service started.
I wanted to start off by reading this lovely poem that I saw recently.
---------
Train of Life
At birth, we boarded the train of life and met our parents, and we believed that they would always travel by our side. However, at some station, our parents would step down from the train, leaving us on life's journey alone.
As time goes by, some significant... Read more people will board the train: siblings, other children, friends, and even the love of our life.
Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum. Others will go so unnoticed that we won't realize that they vacated their seats! This train ride has been a mixture of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells.
A successful journey consists of having a good relationship with all passengers, requiring that we give the best of ourselves. The mystery that prevails is that we do not know at which station we ourselves will step down. Thus, we must try to travel along the track of life in the best possible way -- loving, forgiving, giving, and sharing.
When the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty -- we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who continue to travel on the train of life.
And let’s remember to thank our God for giving us life to participate in this wonderful train ride.
-----------------
I am so glad that I was on my Dad’s train for 51 years. And thanks to those that joined the train at one time or another. His stop and his step down was so very unexpected for us – but he left so many great memories, and we are so grateful he stepped off on a high note!
We have all loved hearing what others thought of my Dad – and am so happy that it was what we knew of him. The prevailing theme – he was such a kind and gentle and smart person. And several people said he was a “Renaissance Man”. And I totally agree – he loved to learn and knew a lot about everything.
He was so happy in his recent move to Greenspring where he had a big office surrounded by at least 1,000 of his books, all in one room. And most importantly my Dad loved math and data. He had a bachelor and master’s degree in Math. He worked for the Navy using his math skills. And in going through things in his office – we saw that my Dad doodled math everywhere. And he did at least a sudoku a day. I have great memories of him helping us as kids with homework, which he enthusiastically did, and especially of course with math. My high school friends even fondly remember his tutoring us in math. After retirement, he even spent many years tutoring various students – even his grandsons. Just recently he helped Brandon and me with some math homework and sent us detailed descriptions and steps to help us. And he was still the volunteer Treasurer for the Four Corners neighborhood association, which he had been doing for many years.
After grad school with his advanced degree in Mathematics, he met my Mom on their first day of work at US Navy, David Taylor Model Basin as they were both trying to find the math lab! My Mom worked there until I was born. And then, when I was looking for a summer job in college, I decided to apply where my Dad worked. This turned out to be the start of my government career as well, and I eventually worked in the same Directorate with my Dad for the summers and then for 7 years after college. It was a great chance for us to know and see each other in different ways, learn what my Dad did at work, have similar co-workers, etc.

After my Dad retired, he had so much fun taking liberal art classes at the community college. He also loved going to see plays with my Mom, so they both ushered at various local theaters for over 30 years. And he even directed and acted in some community theater plays.
Despite my Dad’s quiet demeanor – he definitely had had a wild and adventurous side …. He loved rollercoasters. Even as recent as about 5- 10 years ago, he was still going on roller coasters and rides at Disney and Universal with my husband and niece and Brandon, and even on the water slides at the water parks. When we were younger, he took us on a hot air balloon ride. He loved to bike – biked to work, biked with friends, biked long distance rides of 100 miles, and biked as a family. He did Hang gliding for a while – and even bought one. I remember playing in fields while my Dad would hang glide off of small hills. He even bought a Unicycle.
He also loved science fiction, and he introduced us to Star Wars as kids. And I was able to take my parents to the new Disney Star Wars theme park in February, right before Covid. And I just took him to the movie theater at Thanksgiving to see the new Dune movie, which he loved.
My Dad was always around and involved when we were younger. We always had family dinners, he made breakfast every Sunday (where I was introduced to and then loved scrapple), he washed the dishes every night for my Mom, and was always willing and around to assist us with our school and homework. And then he continued to be present and involved in my life as a grandfather to Brandon, especially since we lived somewhat close by.
He set such a great example for me of what a father and what a spouse should be. And I am so happy that he met the love of his life, and that he and my Mom had such a wonderful marriage of 53 years – best friends - truly soul mates.
In summary, my Dad had a fun life on that train for 79 years, sharing 55 of those years (70% of his life) with my Mom! He left many great memories for me and for others.
Thanks Dad – love you and you will be missed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you everyone for coming. I’m Carl and I’m Richard Messalle’s son.
My sister Renee just spoke a lot about my Dad and beautifully described what a special and unique person he was. I don’t want to stand up here and repeat the same things she said so I’ll try to add a few things.
Obviously everyone here in attendance knew my Dad in some capacity. Everyone here has their own memories of him. Growing up with my Dad, I have a lot of memories that I certainly cherish. It’s impossible to talk about them all but I’m sure some of them you can relate to in some fashion or another. When we lose someone so dear, memories are all we have left; I will hold on to them and treasure them forever.
– I’ll remember my Dad as one of the most voracious readers I’ve ever met; he had an unquenchable thirst to continue learning throughout his life. Renee mentioned all the formal education he had but in addition to that, he always loved reading a book, looking up information or the challenge of just trying to figure something out. That being said, he would always be willing to put down his book and give you all the time you wanted.
– I’ll remember my Dad for being the one of the smartest guys in the room but absolutely never flaunting it.
—I’ll remember my Dad for babysitting my young son Andrew while Andrew’s Mom and I were both active duty in the US Coast Guard and working crazy schedules. My Dad loved taking walks with young Andrew and showing him simple and fun little things such as jumping in a leaf pile or playing under a garden hose in the hot Washington DC summers. I actually think he tried to teach my young son Pythagorean’s Theorem or Ohm’s Law while he fed him in the high chair but I’m thinking it was a bit too much too early for the young lad to digest.
– I’ll remember my Dad for being quiet, kind and patient. He was a good listener. Partially because he was a courteous man but he was also truly curious to hear what you knew about the topic being discussed.
– I’ll remember my Dad for being successful in the stock market but never wanting to “waste money” on a new car or a fancy designer suit. I think he got more satisfaction out of giving to charity vs. himself.
– I’ll remember my Dad cooking the family big breakfasts of eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, pancakes and toast every Sunday morning and taking us all to Church.
-- I’ll remember my Dad doing the dishes and cleaning up after dinner every night; he said if your Mom is going to cook meals for the family, the least I can do is clean up.
– As with most people who suffer the loss of a loved one, I find myself constantly remembering my Dad when little things come up that remind me of my time with him – like changing out an electrical wall outlet, cutting the grass, teaching my son to drive or watching my son do his Math homework or even when I‘m trimming my beard in the mirror.
– I’ll remember my Dad for being a great husband to my Mom. He loved my Mom so much. They spent 55 years together and honestly I probably never really appreciated how much they deeply loved spending time together until I was grown up and out of the house at college…. (of course, me being out of the house may have had just a little to do with them finally enjoying themselves). I truly believe they were meant to be together. I swear, they were like two peas in a pod. They enjoyed the simplest things together like taking walks, holding hands or watching PBS television shows. It really hit home how much they were in love, when my mom recently told me how much she just missed my Dad’s hugs.
– I know I am running out of time but I could go on and on about my sweet memories of my Dad.
My Dad wasn’t a CEO of a Fortune 500 Company. He wasn’t an astronaut that the world watched walk on the moon. He wasn’t a hall of fame athlete. You all probably know he wasn’t the kind of guy who sat in front of the TV all Sunday watching NFL Football or was out all Saturday golfing with the boys. He was an honest, smart and good man who was true to himself and to what he thought was important in life. I wish there were more people like him because the world would be a better place. I wouldn’t change him for anything. I have great memories of my Dad. I love him and I miss him dearly. Read less