Jackson Jambalaya

Mississippi Commissioner Agriculture Andy Gipson posted the following statement about his father on Facebook on June 9.  JJ's condolences go to the Gipson family. 

On behalf of the entire Gipson family, I first want to express our sincere thanks for your prayers, your kind words, and especially your presence here today. In the Bible, at the lowest point in his life, Job’s friends came and sat down to mourn with him and to comfort him. Like them, you are truly our friends in this, our family’s darkest moment. Thank you all so much.

My Daddy, Bro. Harry N. Gipson, was husband to my Mama, Glenda, for over 50 years. He was daddy to three boys, Scott, Andy, and Matt. He was father-in-law to our wives Leslie and Heather, and he was grandfather to eight wonderful grandchildren whom he dearly loved. He was a true friend to so many, but especially his best friend, David Luckett. He loved us all without limit, and without condition. We loved and do love him the same. That kind of love was made possible by the love God showed Daddy by saving him on a date now engraved on his tombstone, October 6, 1966. That was the day my Dad testified he was born again, receiving Jesus Christ as his personal, loving Savior and Lord.

The most important thing to my Daddy was his relationship with Jesus Christ. And he would want me to ask you right now, Do you know Jesus? John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” And whoever you are, and whatever you’ve done, that “whosoever” can be you.

It is because of his faith that we know my dad, Harry Gipson is home with Jesus right now. He is walking the streets of glory, free from any pain, free from any physical sickness, and free from any sickness of the mind. He is home and he is whole, safe in the arms of Jesus. Knowing him, he is probably volunteering to help Jesus build some of those mansions in glory.

In his 70 years, Daddy loved and helped so many people, and led them to Christ. He was a pastor and evangelist, a successful businessman, a farmer, horse-rider, and mule-breaker. But to me and my brothers he was the best dad anyone could ever have. And he loved our Mama more than life itself.

But life wasn’t always a bed of roses for my Daddy. In May of 1995, I watched as a mule ran away with our old fashioned wagon, hitting a tree, and catapulting him onto the ground. The fall broke his neck in three places, fractured his skull, and destroyed his voicebox, not to mention puncturing one lung. The doctors said he would never work or preach again. He did both.

In the mid 2000’s while he was building the Children’s Ranch he climbed up on a forklift to get some material out of a building supply company’s lumber bin, and his foot slipped. He fell about 20 feet onto the concrete below, and cracked his skull again. He preached the next Sunday on crutches.

But in 2012 he had the “motorcycle wreck,” thankfully with a helmet. Still the damage was great. And over the next months he had to learn to count again, to bathe himself again, to button his shirt again. From that time he really struggled with physical and mental challenges. Still, like a Timex watch, Daddy took a licking and kept on ticking.

The last several years, his greatest source of discouragement was that he could no longer do the things he used to do. He couldn’t seem to do the things he wanted to do, like operating Hilltop Memorial Children’s Ranch, a faith-based outreach for children he built on our family farm. Daddy built the ranch including a full western town, a lake, a lodge and a chapel, and his greatest desire in life was to see children there, experiencing Mississippi farm life and the great outdoors, catching bass and hunting. His goal was to reach children with the Gospel in a safe, fun outdoor environment. But for years he struggled privately and sometimes publicly that he just could not do it anymore. Today our family will bury him this afternoon in the casket he made, near the Children’s Church he built. And after he died, we as a family unanimously agreed we will honor his memory by carrying out his vision to reach children through the Children’s Ranch, especially underprivileged children. I cannot overstate how much this meant to him, and he will be so pleased to see this come to fruition.

In recent years he struggled so much, at times with depression, other times with overactivity. He ultimately reached a point where he vacillated between wanting to live and wanting to die, and he told us, “Dying is easier and than living.” But we all wanted him to live and to enjoy his remaining years. In fact, my family agrees the last two years were probably the best he had in a long time. We all as a family loved him and helped him as much as we could, taking him to the hospital and making sure he kept doctors appointments. I told my Mama yesterday, she is a true saint for her steadfast devotion and efforts for Daddy. But ultimately, all our efforts were not enough.

This past Thursday was a date of unspeakable tragedy, and words can never express our deep, deep sorrow. The only thing certain about the tragedy of Harry Gipson’s death is, he was not himself that day. Had he been, he would never have wanted to die. Had he been, he would have listened to reason. But he was not himself. It was as if he was trapped in the prison of a broken mind, and he wanted to be free.

I want to say to all the officers involved, our family knows that you were only trying to help. You were trying to keep him from hurting himself, even though it seemed a point of no return had been reached. We as a family ascribe no blame to you, and we are praying for you and for your families who also mourn and grieve through this tragedy with us.

But we serve a God who has the power to bring triumph from the ashes of tragedy. The Cross is a reminder of that Christ has conquered death, replacing it with eternal life. Today, Bro. Harry Gipson breathes the freshest air of Heaven, and we know in Christ we will see him again.

I want to thank you all again for your care and your love for us during this time. Thank you to our many friends, fellow Believers, loved ones, and colleagues. Tomorrow we will pick up the pieces and move forward as best we can, trusting in the Lord. I will return to work as your Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, and I will continue to carry out all my responsibilities to the very best of my ability, just like my dad taught me to do.

But I will also return with a new personal mission: to serve as an advocate unafraid to speak out on behalf of the thousands of Mississippians who even today are silently suffering the pain of traumatic brain injury, depression or mental illness. If you are one of those Mississippians, I encourage you: Do not be afraid or embarrassed to seek help. These are illnesses that, the same as any physical illness, require treatment to gain relief. Let us as Mississippians join hearts and hands, and rise together to this challenge. Let us work and pray to see that a tragedy like this never again has to be repeated.

I close my thoughts today with the scripture from Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith; who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now set down on the right hand of the throne of God.“

Looking to Jesus, we know there is eternal joy on the other side of the cross. Bro. Harry Gipson is experiencing that joy with Jesus right now. “Jesus Christ: the same yesterday, today and forever.”

The great and lasting legacy of Harry N. Gipson is to know that no matter what happens in this life, Jesus Christ is our Hope, our Future, our unmovable Rock. So we shall continue trusting and standing in Him until the day we see Him in glory, face to face. And on that same day we will once again see Mama’s husband, our Daddy, our Pappaw, our Brother, our friend, Bro. Harry N. Gipson.

Kingfish note: Keep the comments in good taste.