Tim Russert Died
by Jerry W. Willis
6/14/08
The best tribute I can pay to anyone is to say that he was the type of person that I would like to be remembered as being. Tim Russert was one of those type people for me.
He exemplified the values that I am writing about in my book. His life exemplifies the type of life that I aspire to and hope that my friends and family aspire to. Not the fame and fortune but the type of person, the type of love, the type of family and the type of family pride that he advanced with his life.
He loved his family history, his parents, his wife and son and honored them by being the best that he could be in the type of work he loved best. He was widely admired and respected for his integrity, fairness, good humor, humility and perspective on life and for his work of reporting on politics. He was excellent at his work because of his love for his job and career and because of the solid foundation of those family values that he learned from his parents.
Tim honored his Dad immensely by his book, Big Russ and Me and the success of that act of honesty and love gave him the opportunity to honor millions of other families in the follow-up book, The Wisdom of Our Fathers.
Tim told the story that after the first book was published, he learned that his son, Luke, had gotten a tattoo, and he immediately expressed his disappointment in his son for getting a tattoo without first discussing it with him. Luke raised his arm and showed the initials of his Dad and Granddad, TJR, tattooed on his side, then told him “I just wanted to have you and Granddad on my side.” Honor, respect, love and pride demonstrated so clearly in so few words and in the pure intentions of his act.
I will miss Tim Russert. He was one of my favorite people on the Sunday morning talk shows that I enjoy so much because I get to listen to such sharp people. And he was one of the sharpest.
Luke, I know that you will miss him terribly but I know that you will honor him and your family by the way you live your life. You have a father and a family to be very proud of. The fact that he died so close to Father’s Day will keep him even closer to you and your family and remind you of the way he would want all of you to live your lives.
Love,
Jerry W. Willis