In Memory of
Jonathan Raymond Kalbach
By
Mark Kalbach

First of all I want to thank God for the privilege of having known him for these last 28 years.

No one could ask for a better son than Jonathan and my mother is truly blessed to have had him as her son.
As the oldest son of this family, I have always tried to set the example for my siblings, but it is Jonathan who set the example far better than I.

Jonathan is the most amazing guy I know. To spend more than ten years in the Navy & to not only not be corrupted by all the negative influences of this world but to remain steadfast in his faith and to continue to grow spiritually is truly awesome.

Jonathan always stands up for what it good and right and just. While tolerating your viewpoint he always makes sure you understand his as well.

I am proud to be able to not only call Jonathan my brother but my friend as well.

If he thought you needed it, he would give you the shirt off his back.

Jonathan always loved children & they loved him. If there was a child around, you could depend on it that Jonathan was helping to entertain them in some way.

Jonathan has a fantastic ability to communicate & I could talk to him for hours. He can discuss anything from the most trivial to the most profound.

I am so thankful to know with certainty that I will see him again one day. This is just a brief separation. It may seem long to us all now, but in the light of eternity it is just a very brief parting.

I know that Jonathan would be the first to tell us all to dry our tears & got on with life. My tears are not for him, for I know that he is Happy beyond anything I can imagine. He is absent from this body and face to face with the Lord. My tears are for myself & all who know Jonathan because it is so difficult to know that we will not be seeing him for some time.
While my heart is heavy at the moment, I cannot help smiling though my tears to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is OK. Jonathan is more than OK. He is in Heaven where there is no more sorrow, no more tears, no more pain. He is now where we all long to be, for our home is in Heaven. We are merely passing through this life on our journey Home. God called him home much sooner than any of us expected. Some will say that this was an "untimely" death. There is no such thing. God's timing is perfect. God never ever says "Ooops!".

Jonathan always has had a great curiosity about the unknown. Just a few weeks ago we were having a conversation about physics. We were talking about how the universe is expanding. The universe is everything that exists, as we know it. Jonathan wanted to know what the universe is expanding into! You know what! I'll bet he knows the answer to that question now, or at least he will as soon as he gets around to thinking about it again. I suspect he will be quite busy for a while, with the family reunion of those that have gone before.

I now must say goodbye. Not the goodbye of permanence or hopeless loss, but the goodbye of someone going on a long journey. I know he will not be coming this way again, but I will one day take the same journey. We will be reunited, never to be parted again!

So it is, now, that I wish Jonathan Bon Voyage! Have fun! I'll see you later!