Ron Porath: The Dragon Slayer
Have you ever met someone who changed your life in a very short time? Perhaps it was the most seemingly ordinary person who had one trait that made him or her stick out in your mind as special. This is a rare occurrence, and truly a blessing when it does happen. For me this one special trait was the smile and infectious laugh that was always present. The person was, the “Dragon Slayer,” Ron Porath.
Porath served his Lord in many ways. He was one of the maintenance guys on campus for five years and helped out at church every chance he had. As the maintenance guy he liked not only riding in his lawn mower, but also loved the student relations and getting to talk to them. In addition to this, he also was a great husband, father, and grandfather to many, and friend to just about everyone who got to know him.
Aside from his love for fishing, which was quite strong,he also really enjoyed Immanuel sports, especially those in which his grandchildren, Brent and Jordan Rutz, played. You could count on him being there at every game supporting the team in every way he could. I specifically remember one baseball game. After he was already pretty sick, he came down to the field in his truck to watch. A few of us players went over to talk to him and see how he was doing before the game. I asked him how he was doing and the reply was something to the effect of, “Not that great.” He cared though, no matter how hard it was to be there. He was there; he put a smile on his face and didn’t complain.
My favorite memory of the “Dragon Slayer” was the one time my friends and I were reading the daily bulletin after chapel and he came up and gave Jordan a hug. I said, “Well that’s not fair. I want a hug.” So he gave me a hug and picked me up and we laughed about it. After he got sick, I wanted to visit him right away but I couldn’t. Jordan came up to me the next day and said, “Hey, Porath gave me something for you.” He gave me a hug. From that point on, every time I saw him I always made sure I got my hug. Even though the Lord only put Porath in my life for a short time, I see how he was a blessing to me.
At first my friend group called him the “Dragon Slayer” as a joke, because it seemed like he was slaying dragons on the lawn tractor moving snow in the winter. As I got to know him, I realized more and more how appropriate it was. He had so many great stories of awesome things he did. To me it seemed that nothing could stop him. He seemed indestructible. This is a wonderful truth that was very evident at his victory service where we sang of the power that Christ gave him.
“God’s own child, I gladly say it
I am baptized into Christ!
When I die I leave all sadness
To inherit paradise!
Though I lie in dust and ashes
Faith’s assurance brightly flashes
Baptism has the strength divine
To make life immortal mine.”
Worship Supplement 751