04-10-2015, 06:17 PM
mediafire.com/view/z7spl0poc7k80sb
Deanna Reid
The Eulogy
Sorry, I know I should've posted this earlier ...for those who were unable to attend the funeral in CA ... below is the Eulogy. Sorry if the formatting is weird. And please forgive my grammatical errors.
Eulogy for Travis Alexander
Given by Deanna Reid at funeral service held on 06/21/08 in Riverside, CA.
It is my honor and privilege to pay tribute to my dearest friend. I would ask that your prayers be with me as I try my best to speak today.
Travis Victor Alexander was born on July 28, 1977 to Gary and Pamela Alexander in Riverside, CA. He had two older brothers (Gary & Greg) and was followed with four sisters (Tanisha, Samantha, Hillary, Allie) and one more brother (Steven). This is an excerpt from Travis’s blog, recalling when he was a small child he says:
During this time I can think of two fond memories of my childhood. The first is Sesame Street. My Sisters and I watched it everyday and it took our minds to where kids were happy and learning.
The other was visiting the home of my Great-Grandfather Vic. He would grab me by my shoulders and shake me. Then he would follow with these words, these words that alter every aspect of my life, “Travis, you need to know that you are special, that there is not anything that you can’t do. There is something great inside you. You’re special Travis, don’t you ever forget it.” That was quickly followed by a rigid hug that would squeeze the breath out of me.
I remember the day I came to the conclusion there was a God. I was 6. I screamed as loud as I could all day long to God, for my near by grand mother to get me and take me for the weekend. Sure enough that evening she came and picked me up.
Travis moved in with his grandparents Jim & Norma Sarvey when he was 11 years old. Things were rough at home with his parents so one day he walked over to his Grandmother’s house and said to her, I’m going to live with you now.
Travis used to quote Abraham Lincoln when referring to his grandmother changing the quote slightly by saying, “All I am, or can be, I owe to my angel (grand) mother”.
It may be a surprise to some people that when Travis first started high school, he was very shy. He went to Rubidoux High and at times would eat lunch in the library all by himself. He considered himself to be an introvert but started to break out of his shell after he became active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when he was 16 years old.
He was on the wrestling team and loved to practice his wrestling moves on his sisters. He would also flex his muscles whenever an opportunity presented itself or even when it didn’t!
After high school he worked to save money to serve a mission for the church. He was called to serve in the Colorado Denver South mission from 1996 to 1998. Travis wrote me a letter while I was serving a mission and said the following:
I was going through my missionary pictures and remembering back to those days. It almost seems like a dream. Those were some good times. Those were also some really rough times but it was a blast. It brought me back to how hard I worked and how much I learned. Enjoy your time serving our Redeemer and Savior. That was the best part of it--just serving Him.
Travis returned with honor from his mission and began attending the Riverside Singles Ward. He loved to be social and date and made special efforts to be friends with everyone. He also continued as a member missionary and strived to find those that were searching for something more so that he could share his knowledge of the gospel with them.
Doing his family’s genealogy was very important to him. He would get excited when he would find members of his family and link his family tree together. He would attend the temple often and was called to be a temple worker at the LA temple for a time after his mission.
He worked many different jobs in search for a career. None of them seemed to be working out so he prayed that he would find something. The next day he had a feeling he should go up to Chris Hughes at church and ask him what he did for a living. Meanwhile, Chris had been praying for someone that could be a leader in his developing business with Pre-paid Legal Services—someone with the same vision he had. Sure enough, Travis became an associate with Pre-Paid Legal and worked and thrived in this business opportunity.
In 2004, Travis packed his bags and moved to Mesa, AZ where he purchased his home on Queensborough Avenue. He loved to decorate and make improvements—so much that he bought Martha Stewart and Feng Shui books to help him achieve his vision. He would often call his brothers for advice on how to fix things—such as wiring in a ceiling fan. He had a specific goal on how he wanted to decorate the house and he truly made it happen, from colors he was going to paint the walls, to the theater room he wanted for UFC parties. He was proud of his closet and took special measures to have it organized. It was important for him to be in style and looking good.
Goal setting was a big part of Travis’s every day life. Every morning he got up and pulled out a 3 by 5 card. Here he would write a list of everything that he wanted to accomplish that day and then go through and check it off as the day progressed. He would always put things like read my scriptures, write in journal, random act of kindness, walk 2 miles, and 30 min. of a good book.
In 2005, Travis adopted Napoleon, a black pug. Travis loved this dog like he would a child. He would teach him all kinds of tricks and take him along on road trips.
Traveling was important to Travis. Among the many personal development and spiritual books he had in his impressive library, he had a book called 1000 Places To See Before You Die and was working towards that goal. He recently went to Nauvoo to explore some LDS church history and had the opportunity to visit some other sites along the way.
Some would say that Travis was a walking musical. He would hear something that would remind him of a song and would break into song.
Travis loved training fellow PPL associates on developing leadership skills, commitment, and personal development. One of his favorite mantras was, The greatest leader is the greatest servant.
He was always looking for ways to serve and help people. From helping others completely change their lives for the better to simpler things like
Every Sunday he would collect the trash from the bins throughout the church building and take them out. Whenever a volunteer was needed or something needed to get done, Travis was the first to raise his hand. One of the scriptures he quoted most comes from Ish. 6:8 when the Lord says, “Here am I, send me.”
Near the end of his life he was writing a book and titled it Raising You. This was his attempt to inspire and help even more people to become the best person they could be no matter who they are or where they came from. In his introduction to the book he writes:
I pray that you will allow the words you read to stare deep into your eyes and instill into you that there isn’t anything that you can not do. My desire is that this book will do for you what Grandpa Vic did for me. Help me believe what is already true. That you are special.
Like Travis, I know that we are children of a Heavenly Father that lives and loves us. That we have divine potential. That through our savior Jesus Christ we might gain eternal life and exultation.
I cannot adequately express how much I miss my friend.
• I will miss his laugh, especially when it’d get out of control getting louder and crazier!
• How much he loved the French fries at Red Robin restaurants.
• His method of ordering lemons with his water, making sure to ask “…actually can I get a whole plate of lemons.”
• The singing voicemails.
• And so many inside jokes that were only funny to us.
I love you Travi. I would not be who I am today without you. I owe it to you… to be happy and successful in all that I do for the rest of my life.
These things I share with all of you and do so in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Deanna Reid
The Eulogy
Sorry, I know I should've posted this earlier ...for those who were unable to attend the funeral in CA ... below is the Eulogy. Sorry if the formatting is weird. And please forgive my grammatical errors.
Eulogy for Travis Alexander
Given by Deanna Reid at funeral service held on 06/21/08 in Riverside, CA.
It is my honor and privilege to pay tribute to my dearest friend. I would ask that your prayers be with me as I try my best to speak today.
Travis Victor Alexander was born on July 28, 1977 to Gary and Pamela Alexander in Riverside, CA. He had two older brothers (Gary & Greg) and was followed with four sisters (Tanisha, Samantha, Hillary, Allie) and one more brother (Steven). This is an excerpt from Travis’s blog, recalling when he was a small child he says:
During this time I can think of two fond memories of my childhood. The first is Sesame Street. My Sisters and I watched it everyday and it took our minds to where kids were happy and learning.
The other was visiting the home of my Great-Grandfather Vic. He would grab me by my shoulders and shake me. Then he would follow with these words, these words that alter every aspect of my life, “Travis, you need to know that you are special, that there is not anything that you can’t do. There is something great inside you. You’re special Travis, don’t you ever forget it.” That was quickly followed by a rigid hug that would squeeze the breath out of me.
I remember the day I came to the conclusion there was a God. I was 6. I screamed as loud as I could all day long to God, for my near by grand mother to get me and take me for the weekend. Sure enough that evening she came and picked me up.
Travis moved in with his grandparents Jim & Norma Sarvey when he was 11 years old. Things were rough at home with his parents so one day he walked over to his Grandmother’s house and said to her, I’m going to live with you now.
Travis used to quote Abraham Lincoln when referring to his grandmother changing the quote slightly by saying, “All I am, or can be, I owe to my angel (grand) mother”.
It may be a surprise to some people that when Travis first started high school, he was very shy. He went to Rubidoux High and at times would eat lunch in the library all by himself. He considered himself to be an introvert but started to break out of his shell after he became active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when he was 16 years old.
He was on the wrestling team and loved to practice his wrestling moves on his sisters. He would also flex his muscles whenever an opportunity presented itself or even when it didn’t!
After high school he worked to save money to serve a mission for the church. He was called to serve in the Colorado Denver South mission from 1996 to 1998. Travis wrote me a letter while I was serving a mission and said the following:
I was going through my missionary pictures and remembering back to those days. It almost seems like a dream. Those were some good times. Those were also some really rough times but it was a blast. It brought me back to how hard I worked and how much I learned. Enjoy your time serving our Redeemer and Savior. That was the best part of it--just serving Him.
Travis returned with honor from his mission and began attending the Riverside Singles Ward. He loved to be social and date and made special efforts to be friends with everyone. He also continued as a member missionary and strived to find those that were searching for something more so that he could share his knowledge of the gospel with them.
Doing his family’s genealogy was very important to him. He would get excited when he would find members of his family and link his family tree together. He would attend the temple often and was called to be a temple worker at the LA temple for a time after his mission.
He worked many different jobs in search for a career. None of them seemed to be working out so he prayed that he would find something. The next day he had a feeling he should go up to Chris Hughes at church and ask him what he did for a living. Meanwhile, Chris had been praying for someone that could be a leader in his developing business with Pre-paid Legal Services—someone with the same vision he had. Sure enough, Travis became an associate with Pre-Paid Legal and worked and thrived in this business opportunity.
In 2004, Travis packed his bags and moved to Mesa, AZ where he purchased his home on Queensborough Avenue. He loved to decorate and make improvements—so much that he bought Martha Stewart and Feng Shui books to help him achieve his vision. He would often call his brothers for advice on how to fix things—such as wiring in a ceiling fan. He had a specific goal on how he wanted to decorate the house and he truly made it happen, from colors he was going to paint the walls, to the theater room he wanted for UFC parties. He was proud of his closet and took special measures to have it organized. It was important for him to be in style and looking good.
Goal setting was a big part of Travis’s every day life. Every morning he got up and pulled out a 3 by 5 card. Here he would write a list of everything that he wanted to accomplish that day and then go through and check it off as the day progressed. He would always put things like read my scriptures, write in journal, random act of kindness, walk 2 miles, and 30 min. of a good book.
In 2005, Travis adopted Napoleon, a black pug. Travis loved this dog like he would a child. He would teach him all kinds of tricks and take him along on road trips.
Traveling was important to Travis. Among the many personal development and spiritual books he had in his impressive library, he had a book called 1000 Places To See Before You Die and was working towards that goal. He recently went to Nauvoo to explore some LDS church history and had the opportunity to visit some other sites along the way.
Some would say that Travis was a walking musical. He would hear something that would remind him of a song and would break into song.
Travis loved training fellow PPL associates on developing leadership skills, commitment, and personal development. One of his favorite mantras was, The greatest leader is the greatest servant.
He was always looking for ways to serve and help people. From helping others completely change their lives for the better to simpler things like
Every Sunday he would collect the trash from the bins throughout the church building and take them out. Whenever a volunteer was needed or something needed to get done, Travis was the first to raise his hand. One of the scriptures he quoted most comes from Ish. 6:8 when the Lord says, “Here am I, send me.”
Near the end of his life he was writing a book and titled it Raising You. This was his attempt to inspire and help even more people to become the best person they could be no matter who they are or where they came from. In his introduction to the book he writes:
I pray that you will allow the words you read to stare deep into your eyes and instill into you that there isn’t anything that you can not do. My desire is that this book will do for you what Grandpa Vic did for me. Help me believe what is already true. That you are special.
Like Travis, I know that we are children of a Heavenly Father that lives and loves us. That we have divine potential. That through our savior Jesus Christ we might gain eternal life and exultation.
I cannot adequately express how much I miss my friend.
• I will miss his laugh, especially when it’d get out of control getting louder and crazier!
• How much he loved the French fries at Red Robin restaurants.
• His method of ordering lemons with his water, making sure to ask “…actually can I get a whole plate of lemons.”
• The singing voicemails.
• And so many inside jokes that were only funny to us.
I love you Travi. I would not be who I am today without you. I owe it to you… to be happy and successful in all that I do for the rest of my life.
These things I share with all of you and do so in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.