Dr. David John Kreis, Sr.

(June 25, 1922 - October 23, 1998)

The young boy awoke from his slumber and discovered, in an instant, that he had become a man. He stood and faced the mirror in his room, and with an inner voice he had never heard before, proclaimed, "I am a man." From that point on, his mind would race backward to his favored spots of time and forward to the uncertain future that lay ahead. Although it was the future that filled him with both anticipation and apprehension, it was his backward glances, now becoming ever more frequent, which illuminated his past and gave his life meaning and purpose.

As the young man matured, he became a husband and father. And it was then that his inner voice changed once more. As he gently rested his hands on the heads of his two children, a wave of memory, those valued spots of time, swept over him, and he found himself saying, "now I am a father."

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old.
Or let me die!
The Child is the Father of the Man,
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

I would like to thank all of you for being here this morning to show your love and respect for my dear father. I know that he would have appreciated all the love and support that you have given to my family during this, the most difficult of times.

As a husband, father, friend, and physician, my Dad's character was of an exemplary sort. He was a wonderful man with extraordinary talents and he gave freely of himself to others at times when they needed his strength and fellowship. He will be greatly missed.

As I recollect my past – and events such as the one which has brought us together force us to recollect our past – the one memory of mine which stands above the rest, is the care, love, consideration and respect my father gave to my mother, brother and myself. He was always there when we needed him and we all certainly depended on him for his strength, courage and determination to do the right thing. I myself relied on his common sense advice and know that I would not be the man I am today without his respect and affection. My Dad had a great sense of humor – I loved to make him laugh.

I know that if my brother Dave were here today, that he would echo these sentiments. And I also know how proud my brother was of Dad and also the pride my Dad experienced as he watched his eldest son become a talented trauma surgeon, professor and man of virtue. While Dave was a medical student and resident in surgery at Yale, my Dad's greatest joy was hearing a page for Dr. Kreis, Jr.

And for Dave's two children, Kelly and Sandy, and my own two children, Amy and Scott, my Dad has been a wonderful grandfather. I suppose the image of my Dad chasing my daughter Amy around the front yard of my home says it all. He loved his grandchildren very much and whether he was Bumpa or the Tickle Monster, I know that they shall always keep him close to their hearts.

For my mother, my father was a constant companion and loving husband for more than fifty years. Through good times and bad he remained the devoted husband and good friend that makes a marriage work. And I mention this only because we live in an age where somehow marriage and family have been under assault by some force I cannot understand. The idea of family, and all that it entails, meant a great deal to my father. And the reason for his devotion to his family is quite easy to uncover. It was my Dad's life's work to bring new life into this world. It was a job that he did with enormous energy and care and gave him a great sense of meaningful accomplishment. And although for the first twenty years of my life my Dad was never home as often as I would have liked, it was because he dedicated his entire life to his patients on 3-West and in surgery. A man of great strength and perseverance, my Dad loved his work as a physician and teacher at Yale and thoroughly enjoyed the genuine camaraderie he shared with his colleagues in his OB-GYN practice.

I know that my Dad's greatest reward was seeing the many, many children his gentle hands delivered into this world. I have so many memories of my Dad introducing me to these children as they grew up. It was the smile on his face and the sense of pride in accomplishment that silently told me much about my father and what was indeed important to him. And I know that the whole community will miss my father deeply since he dedicated all of his talent and care to the well-being of this community.

As a young boy my Dad became my principal instructor in life. And although I chose a career as a historian, something which has very little to do with the scientific frame of mind, my Dad taught me a most valuable lesson. That lesson, simply stated, was how to get the job done. I have carried this lesson with me ever since, and I don't think I could have done half the things I have managed to do, without this fundamental instruction. Whether it was painting the house, mowing the lawn, planting azaleas, or the day he taught me to drive his Corvette, my Dad was always a model of patient and calm understanding.

The children shows the man,
As morning shows the day.

How's your new lawnmower, Dad?
Did you get the azaleas?
How about those Rangers. Think they'll ever win another Stanley Cup?
Anyway, I gotta go, Dad.
Thanks for being my father and making me a man.
I love you, Dad.

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