The Rev. George Campbell was the best father-in-law a guy could ever have.

He passed away September 28. He was 89.

In the fall of 1981, I fell in love with his daughter Susan. I was determined to marry this sweet young lady.

For Christmas, Susan planned to go home to her folks in Concord, North Carolina. We had been dating steadily and she invited me to fly out to North Carolina for a few days to spend time with her and her folks.

George was the minister of a Southern Presbyterian church in Concord. The church was small and didn’t pay much but it did have a three-story parsonage next door and the Campbells lived there.

George had a fascinating background. He was an Army Ranger and he trained as a paratrooper in the early 1950s. He didn’t fight in the Korean War but he was stationed in Germany in the mid-1950s and that is where Susan was born.

After his military service, he got a masters degree in engineering and worked for awhile in Florida and upper New York State. He and his young family prospered.

Then, around age 40, he felt the call to go into ministry. He moved his family to Atlanta, Georgia, so he could attend a seminary. He went to school and worked part-time at places like Arby’s to feed his family.

During that Christmas in 1981, I met George, his wife Martha, her mother and Susan’s brothers and one sister-in-law.

One afternoon, when nothing was going on, I asked George if he would show me his office. As we walked about 50 feet to the church, I turned and all of Susan’s relatives were peering out windows to see what we were up to.

I was nervous but I told George that I wanted to marry his daughter. I had plans to propose to her in January. I asked for his permission to marry Susan and he said yes.

This may sound old-fashioned but it is a great way to start a relationship with in-laws. I promised that I would provide for her and take care her.

I was a newspaper reporter and actually that didn’t seem to impress him. But I had a steady job, I owned a home and my Christian faith was very important to me.

It was important to him, too.

After his retirement, George and Martha eventually moved to Orlando, Florida – actually to Winter Park, a suburb.

We started having kids and it was always a treat to visit their grandparents in North Carolina and especially in Florida.

The Campbells hosted us as we explored Disney World, Sea World and all the other kid-oriented attractions of Central Florida.

George was always generous to a fault. When our families were out together for dinner, he would never let me pick up a check (which is good, because back then we were low on finances).

He once took me and my two sons on a deep-sea fishing trip out of Madeira Beach, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico.

At times, when I had only two weeks of vacation a year, I would send Susan and the kids to their grandparents and they all had a great time.  George and Martha took care of everything.

I always loved having conversations with George. He knew sports – especially Major League Baseball. And he liked the NBA and college football.

But perhaps the more telling conversations we had were about the Bible and faith in general. George was very, very smart and he was a deep thinker.

When Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, George was retired but he volunteered to go and help hurricane victims for weeks and weeks. He did this because he loved people and he loved serving his Lord.

Sadly, several years ago he had a stroke that affected the left side of his body. Still, his mind was intact even though his body wasn’t fully cooperating.

As he and Martha grew older, we convinced them to move to Tulsa. They needed a bit more help and they moved into a wonderful cottage in a senior center about a mile from our house.

The stroke took a toll on him but he really cheered up when he had company. He was very excited when he saw our grandchildren, his great-grandchildren. George loved people and especially children.

I don’t think I ever heard him say a cross word. He had a Spirit-controlled temperament. He loved to laugh and he would share “dad jokes” and puns – much to the delight of his family. George was such an optimist.

George loved studying the Bible and he was a prayer warrior. Even though in the last few years, he couldn’t attend church, he faithfully watched church services on television.

This world needs more people like my father-in-law George Campbell. Of course, his passing brings sadness but there is a great peace because the Rev. George Campbell trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ and that was a focal point of his life.

And now that his life is done, our family has complete assurance that George is with Jesus in Heaven and someday we will join him and be together forever.