The Eulogy of Christopher Nicholas Saulet "A6ETRAM"

Sent in by by Fred A Amos 

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Chris Saulet, a good friend of the modeling community died recently of cancer. His funeral was one of the most impressive I have ever witnessed. There were close to fifty state and local police cars in the procession. He was honored by the Missouri Highway Patrol, the U.S. Navy, the Missouri Air National Guard and eight bikers from his bicycle riding club. His brother read a beautiful eulogy and I asked his permission to share it with you, his friends.
Fred A Amos   IPMS/USA #6672

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Memorials may be made to American Cancer Society or Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Saulet, Chris, of St. Charles, Missouri, died on Thursday, January 29, 2009 after a courageous battle with cancer, at the age of 50. Dearest husband of Stephanie Saulet (nee: DuFour), dear son of the late Nicolas and Betty Gale Greene; dear brother of Mark (Toni) Saulet, Patrick (Theresa) Saulet and Michael (Trelitha) Bryant. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews, the DuFour, Clark and Schoonover families and his beloved mother-in-law, Helen DuFour.

Chris was proud of his 25 years of service with the Missouri State Troopers. He was a member of All Saints Catholic Church and IPMS (International Plastic Models Society). He was an avid Cyclist. He rode in the 1999 Paris-Brest-Paris 850 mile race and he finished in 86 hours. He was very devoted to his time served in the Navy and Air Reserves.

http://obit.baue.com/obitdisplay.html?id=629485&listing=Current

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The Eulogy of Christopher Nicholas Saulet by his brothers Mark, Patrick and Michael 

Alpha 1October 1958 – Omega 29 January 2009

Welcome Remarks: Good Morning, Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.
We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Christopher Nicholas Saulet.
To family (both immediate and extended), friends, his cancer team, Padre Don, Hospice care givers and Co-Workers of Chris’s in the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop C, Missouri Air National Guard, fellow hobby club members and enthusiast, cycling friends, and his neighbors in the Prince Andrew Court Cul-de-Sac Angels, we, his family would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to you for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here with us to celebrate and honor the life and legacy of a wonderful husband, brother, public servant and friend, Christopher N. Saulet.
I know that the words that I speak here today will not do justice for my brother Chris, but maybe these few words will shed light on the honorable life and legacy of a wonderful amazing man.
It’s rare in life when you come across a person with such a zest for life, who approached it with such courage, humility, dignity, integrity, honor and love, all these characteristics easily describe Chris. He was what we call a wysiwyg person, that is (what you see is what you get), straight and to the point without all the fluff, kind of like officer Joe Friday from the old Dragnet TV series who would always say “just the facts mam, just the facts”.

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Chris touched each of our lives in his own special way, he loved his family as well as animals second to none, he has a beautiful Alaskan Malamute named Dartanion who is going to miss him so. And to his loving wife Stephanie, he loved you more than words can describe, he was your lover, your protector, your confidant and life partner, and on behalf of our family, I want to say to you, thank you for loving and cherishing him and taking care of our dear brother, you were his solid rock and truly his best friend. You were the second trooper in your home, Thank You.
In the book of Mathew Chapter 25 and following, the text talks about faithful servants two of the three who had done well by their master when they were entrusted with five talents of money, (some where around five thousand dollars in those days) those two servants went on and increased the value of their talents. Chris was just like that in life, he was given one life to live, he increased not only the value of his life, but he made each one of us better in the process. He accomplished more in his 50 years than what most of us could do in two lifetimes. Chris was a proud public servant for over half of his 50 years, first enlisting in the United States Navy and serving with honor and distinction aboard the aircraft carriers Forrestal and Eisenhower as a Navy ordinance-man and for a short time as an observer on Navy P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft. After his active duty commitment, he chose to continue his public service as a Missouri State Highway Patrolman, earning the rank of Sergeant. He was a dedicated public servant to the state of Missouri. He served as a road patrolman, evidence room supervisor, physical fitness coordinator and most recently he worked in the gaming division on the river casinos. He took tremendous pride in his job and everything he did, he was honorably retired this month after 25 years of dedicated service on the Missouri State Highway Patrol. While still serving on the state patrol, he had a yearning for the military way of life once again, so he joined the Missouri Air Guard, working as an ordinance technician on F-15 fighter aircraft and achieving the rank of Technical Sergeant. He was a distinguished graduate of his tech school class. That’s what Chris was about giving it his all and service to others, weather it was upholding, protecting and defending our nation’s constitution or protecting others while patrolling Missouri’s highways and byways, putting others before him was first on his list.
Also, Chris was a D.A.R.E officer with the State Patrol always wanting to make sure that young people were well informed on the hazards of drinking and driving and giving them the best possible chance for success in life by sharing thoughts with them about making the right choices in life. Others before self that was the essence of Chris, so I can proudly say to you Chris, “well done thy good and faithful servant, well done.”
Chris was a master model builder, building plastic models was not just a hobby for him but a passion. I often bragged about his skills to others stating that they could take any of his models and place them on a Hollywood movie set and they could pass for the real thing without a doubt. If you were to take a trip to the St. Louis World War museum you can see some of his work on display. His house was filled with trophies, awards and certificates that he had won at various modeling competitions. His patience, skill and attention to detail are just truly amazing.
Physical fitness was another hallmark of Chris’s life. Tall, strong, handsome and debonair, staying physically fit and a positive attitude was what helped him stay in the fight with this rare form of cancer. Those two things I strongly believe kept him going longer than any medical professional could have ever predicted. Another thing that he loved was bike riding, and I’m not talking about maybe once around the block kind of riding, we’re talking miles and miles of riding man, he trained hard and it paid its dividends and he got good at it, so good in fact that he road in these Tour-de-France style bike races both here in the states and in France. He was a winner in every sense of the word. Whatever he did, he was determined to be the best and do it better than the next person. It’s that fighting spirit that we have come to associate so closely with him.
Let’s take just a moment to reflect on your special Chris moment. I have three that immediately come to mind: 1st when we were re-united some 14 years ago, what a moment, but that’s another story for another time, second seeing his joy and happiness on his wedding day. I didn’t know he could dance like that, he had more moves that day than Michael Jordan and Dr. J combined, and lastly celebrating his 50th birthday with him, seeing him staying strong and still fighting the good courageous fight.
Chris wasn’t strictly business all of the time, with a twinkle in his eye and his wry sense of humor and impeccable timing he could light up the room with impromptu impersonations of the Munchkins in the Wizard of Oz, various scenes from the Austin Powers movie series, Sean Connery, Bill Cosby and many more. When we came together last October to celebrate Chris’s 50th birthday many found out that he had a mischievous side to him as well, with his pie in the eye pranks that he and fellow classmates pulled off in high school, and you know, that rascal never got caught.
Chris always found time for family and friends, he was loyal, courteous, and always a gentleman. He, just like my other brothers Mark and Patrick was never too busy for me. I could call on him for anything he was right there for me anytime night or day 24/7.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “That the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Chris’s biggest challenge and controversy was cancer. In his sickness and hard fought battle with this cancer, I never once heard him complain or question why him. It was always I’m going to beat this, always prayerful, positive, upbeat and full of hope. What spirit, drive, determination, and courage he showed in the face of this dreaded disease. Even though he endured tremendous pain in his battle with cancer, he carried on with the dignity and pride that he was known for. The courage that he showed through all of the chemo, radiation, blood transfusions, and other medical procedures could only identify him as a class act. He taught us how to live in the face of a dreaded disease and he did it with humility, a strong sense of pride and bravery. He truly led by example. He had a big heart of gold. I know that I’m a better and stronger person because of Chris.
I also know that there was a lot more that he wanted to accomplish on this time side of life, more models to build, more races to ride in and more get togethers with family and friends, but when his time came he did it his own way and went out on his own terms. He knew God in his own special way. The day that he passed away, that morning I read to him several passages from the bible including the 23rd Psalm, 27th Psalm, Isaiah chapter 40 Ephesians Chapter 6 and a few more, I believe it gave both of us comfort and put his soul at rest.
Chris, I just want to say thank you for being my brother and the stand up person that you are. Your loving spirit will live on in our hearts and memory until our last breath. I love you as a person, brother and friend. It doesn’t take many words for me to describe Chris. For me just one word sums it up. HERO, he was and always will be my HERO.
As I close, I can just see him up there with his bike riding clothes on and a smile on his face that could melt butter, ready to pedal on to the other side and cross the next finish line, and as he looks back over his shoulder, He’ll playfully say see you on the other side buddy.
We Love you, and miss you,
Mark, Patrick and Michael. 

Photos and text © by Fred A Amos