A great man passed away tonight. He was your Great Grandpa Bright. Never have I met a more admirable, honest, hard working, loving man than he. When Mimi divorced from my biological father, we had many problems with him as I grew up. Gpa, as I referred to him with yall, was always the mediator between Mimi and my biological father. He was always the voice of reason. He always tried to look at the situation from an objective point of view and approach it with what he felt was God's will in his mind.
He spent many years as a teacher and coach, and even a few brief years as a principal. He loved teaching and helping others. He could often be found staying late after school having tutoring sessions and/or helping his students with any problems they were having. As a girl growing up, even to this day, if I mention to someone that knew him, that Art Bright was my grandfather...their immediate response was always about how much they loved him. They would always say that he was a hard teacher, but one who helped them every step of the way until they understood the material. Everyone I have ever talked to loved and admired your Gpa.
Your Gpa also left a legacy outside of teaching. He loved to work with wood. You could often times find him in the garage at Gigi and Gpa's house hard at work on clock, bookshelf, whatever was needed. However, aside from the masterpieces he created in his garage, Gpa worked fervently for Habitat for Humanity. He believed that God gave him the ability to build (more specifically to paint) and he spent HOURS at Habitat Houses painting so that another family in need had a place to live. Your Gpa could be seen almost daily at whatever Habitat House was being built, hard at work to make it a home. I remember a time, when I was sitting in church, and the pastor, Reverend House, was preaching on being kin to Jesus. In his sermon he said, "My mothers and brothers and sisters are those who hear the word of God and do it. And we wouldn't have built the number of Habitat Houses if it weren't for Art Bright and his passion for the ministry. He led the way for our church - making sure every detail was taken care of...making sure we had people out there doing what needed to be done. Because of his tireless response to the call of Jesus on his life, there are a host of people in Bryan/College Station that live in nice homes because there was a man with and honest and good heart who heard the word of God in his life and did it. Kin to Jesus? You bet!!!" I remember hearing those words and almost jumping for joy at the amount of pride I felt! I wanted to jump up and scream, "That's MY Grandpa!!!" And girls, He was your Great Grandpa!!! You should be proud...more than proud, ecstatic and boastful of the Gpa you were blessed with. But, most of all, you should remember the example he set for us. You should remember the countless hours he gave volunteering so others would have what they needed. Remember his devotion and love of God. Remember who he was and what he stood for...How, you might ask? You didn't know him. His actions, my girls. For actions speak louder than words. I hope that I can be half the person he was. I strive to show others God's love as he did, and I hope that one day you will want to too. Your Gpa left a legacy. One that will always be remembered by those that knew him. One that will live on, though his time on earth has come to a close. Goodbye Gpa! You are loved so much! You will not be forgotten. I know you are watching down from heaven, mind and body once again restored. Enjoy the spot you procured with God, and I know that we will someday meet again!!!!
Love,
Christel
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