I got to know Jerry Corbran in the ‘90s. I was new to Euclid
There are people in life that are like the flames of a fire. They are spectacular, drawing others to them and lighting more flames until you have a conflagration. They burn hot and fast serving their immediate purpose, but then burn out.
There are others in life who are hot coals. They are the flame-starters. Jerry Corbran was a flame starter. For me, he was my touchstone, listening, advising, helping out at a moment’s notice.
If greatness is measured by one’s accomplishments in life, then no, Jerry probably wasn’t so great. But if true greatness is, as I believe, measured by one’s faithfulness in life, then Jerry Corbran was one of the greatest men I have ever known. He was faithful to his God and to himself, to his family and to his friends, to his country and to his community.
Jerry fell asleep Sunday, Jan 13th at the age of 87. His passing is the end of an era. He now awaits the return of his lord. Ours was a friendship that spanned nearly 20 years, though I must admit, he was a better friend to me than I was to him.
There is a poem that epitomizes the life of Jerry Corbran. It is “The Bridge Builder” by Will Allen Dromgoole….
An old man, going a lone highway,
Came at evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.
“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,
“You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way’
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide –
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?”
The builder lifted his old gray head:
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
“There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.”
I shall sorely miss Jerry’s counsel and his patience, but I am thankful he counted me as a friend and I am grateful for the bridge he built for me. He was after all, an engineer!
Visitation will be from 2-4 and 6-8 Thurs Jan 17 at the Corrigan-Deighton Funeral Home, 21900 Euclid Ave. Mass will be celebrated Fri at Sts Robert & William on E.260th.
5 comments:
Sorry for your loss Mary Jo. My condolences to you and all who knew Mr. Corbran.
Thank you Mary Jo! My Dad touched so many lives and we are so grateful to have had him for 87 wonderful years. He was a dedicated and loving husband, father, grandfather,uncle,friend,and mentor to many. Thank you for creating such a wonderful homage to a man that we will miss forever but who will always remain in our hearts! Love, Tammy
Very touching. Sorry for your loss.
Yes Jerry was a very special person. He had many great ideas and visions for the community that he lived in. I will miss talking to him and getting his advise. He was a flame starter for me as well. I will miss his messages that he sent via the e mail. It is a truly sad day when Jerry had passed away. God be with You Jerry.
I have a wonderful history with Jerry. We worked on the Briardale Greens project together to stop low-income housing from being built on the property. Jerry had such foresight. He was a very special person-intelligent, kind, always working for the betterment of Euclid and a real gentleman. He used his wonderful E-mail list to remind friends of events and happenings in the City. Jerry was a true supporter of Shore, the Orchestra, the Henn Mansion, and more. May God rest his soul. He will be missed.
My deepest sympathy to his family, he was so proud of all of you. Del Tekieli
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