Our dad touched so many lives and we feel incredibly lucky and blessed that he was ours. There are so many Geoff Lighten jokes and stories. We've been sharing our own non-stop. We would love to hear yours. Please use the comments section here and leave as many funny and happy memories as you can! We want to preserve our father's memory for us and our children and these stories will help. Please share as many as you can! Little or big. We will be so grateful.
Thank you for everyone's prayers and love. We feel it.
The funeral will be this Friday, December 27th in Alpine UT. More details to follow.
Also if you could please include your relationship to my dad that would be great.
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I would like to share a story about Uncle Geoff. Many people know that Geoff had a great sense of humor. This story is just one example of a myriad of stories about Geoff that are floating around in my head. When we were younger our grandparents had a houseboat at Lake Powell. We all (meaning the whole extended family) would congregate for one fun filled week at Lake Powell. We would pack that houseboat to bursting, most years there were over 50 people on the boat. It always seemed like Geoff would crack on of his funny but cheesy jokes to start out the week. The Joke that I remember goes like this:
ReplyDeleteOne weekend at the local dance hall there was a self-conscious young man with a wooden eye that attended the dance. On that very same night there also was a young woman that had lost her leg in an accident and had a wooden leg. This young woman had been to the dance hall many times before without anyone asking her to dance. At the same time the young man who was self-conscious about his bad, self-made, wooden eye noticed the girl with the wooden leg. As the night dragged on the boy noticed that no one was asking the girl to dance. He built up his courage over the next several songs. Finally he convinced himself to go ask the girl to dance. As the boy approached the girl saw him coming and her anticipation built. So much so, that when the boy asked her to dance her excitement spilled over the top and she exclaimed,” WOOOOD I”!!! The boy, thinking the girl was making fun of him, shouted “PEG-LEGG”, in reply. The girl promptly slapped the boy and ran out of the dance hall, crying.
Now, all of us that heard this joke would bust out in loud guffaws of laughter. As the week on the houseboat went on Geoff would, in answer to a question, LOUDLY EXCLAME “WOOOOD I”!!! All of us that were around would shout” PEG LEGG”!!! Followed by another fit of loud laughter. To this day if we were all together for any reason, Geoff could have exclaimed “WOOOOD I”. I have no doubt that someone would yell “PEG LEGG” back.
This is part of the legacy that Geoff left behind. I could go on to say more about the way that Geoff affected me in my life but I would make this story too long. I will end by saying that I wouldn’t be the person that I am today without some of Geoff’s influence. I will miss you Uncle Geoff and I will always remember you, and look forward to the day we will meet again.
Sincerely, Andy Palmer
Round and round the garden goes the teddy bear
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ReplyDeleteOne things that stands out to me about Geoff, and no less so in Jill, was their incredible long suffering and patience with me. I have to imagine I tried that patience to the maximal of human boundaries during my youth. My relationship with Geoff and Jill was dating Amy during our teenage years if that provides any clarity. I remember one silly story in particular. Growing up in Colorado I spend many days in the Lighten home with Amy and our friends. I began to think of it very much my own. One summer the Lighten family left town to vacation somewhere. In some moment of misguided teenage rationalization, of which I had much experience, I somehow talked Jason Romrell and Darin Nageli to join me in sneaking through a window into the Lighten home while they were out of town to enjoy some guy time watching movies, and freeloading on their fridge food. Seemed a harmless enough idea at the time as freeloading on their food had become a past time of mine. Little did we know a neighbor had seen us go in the window and thought we were attempting to burglarize the place. About 30 minutes into the movie we noticed a lot of screaming outside. We silenced the movie and clearly heard a man yelling, 'ARAPAHO COUNTY SHERRIFS DEPARTMENT, COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP OR WE'RE SENDING IN THE DOGS'. We walked out to guns pointed at us, were promptly cuffed and laid prone on the front lawn. As I sat there face down in the grass thinking of what excuse I would have to come up with to avoid the wrath of my own parents, guess who drives up with three police cars with lights flashing in his driveway. Geoff!!! He had evidently been on a business trip and was meeting the family later. This sounds like a punk'd type scenario but, no, it was reality. This time I knew he was going to banished me from his presence forever. But that was not how he handled it. I will never forget how despite his obvious embarrassment and disappointment in us, he spoke up for us to the police that he didn't believe we were robbing his home (well, if we don't count the broccoli and cheese sauce I was eating from the fridge). They let us go with a stern reprimand. The cops still took me home, my parents still punished me, deservedly so, but deep down the worst punishment was that I had disappointed Bro. Lighten. Looking back I can only imagine his thoughts that night. In retrospect I was also grateful that the police had arrived before Geoff, I can only imagine the scene had he showed up first with all three of us lounging on his couch watching movies. How I loved that example of Christlike love and long suffering to a young man, and constant thorn in his side, who deserved none of it. Bless you Geoff, and may heavens blessing strengthen you Jill. My love and gratitude.
ReplyDeleteI remember when Bishop Lighten first became the bishop in the BYU 145th ward. He was loved instantly. I remember we had a carnival type party planned so that we could all get to know each other. He fully supported us in what we had planned for the party and even taught us all how to play cricket on the lawn at BYU. So fun! I also remember visiting with him one time, in his office, when the discussion lead to prayerfully finding a righteous husband and to putting my trust in the Lord's time. I took his advice and I did find a great righteous husband. I have thought back on his advice often since then and appreciated his "fatherly advice" for me. I always felt like he had all the time in the world to talk to me. I appreciate what he did for me and for who he was. I am sorry about his passing. He affected a lot of people.
ReplyDeleteJan and I give our deepest comdolances. I had a lot of respect and admiration for Geoff. He was a pleasure to be with, he sincere and honest. We are sad we cannot attend his services.
ReplyDeleteMark and Jan Stubbs
We went to the Tony Robins seminar a few years ago. There was a group of people that went with us and we went crazy with some of events Tony put out. I didn't know Geoff that well at the time. I was very impressed to learn that he was excited to be there and to see the events we went through. I am glad that we took a picture with him that time. As I got to know him well, he brought us treats from England when Prince William got married. He promised me that he would say hi to Kate for me because I joked with him that I was not invited to her wedding. Funny guy. I miss him!
ReplyDeleteAlex Carruth and I (Stacey Smith Carruth) met each other in Bishop Lighten's ward. That man knew how to inspire each person to be their best because he saw the potential in us. My favorite story about him was that he was not afraid to be bold while being kind. I was scared to marry my (now) husband for various reasons. I decided to talk to him about it. He was afraid to be direct in answering my questions. My usual encounters with directness are arrogance. His was soft and kind, yet inmistakably clear. I guess that was the biggest thing I remember about him. He brought clarity to the gospel and how to live life.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice Bishop. Marrying Alex was the best decision of my life and now we have a beautiful, happy family of 5!