For Arnie and Chuck

Mark Twain was born in August 1835 when Halley's Comet appeared. And it comes back approximately every 75 to 76 years. So in 1909 he said, “It is coming again next year. The Almighty has said, no doubt, 'Now there are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'” And he was right: he died in April 1910 when the comet made its reappearance. Was it a coincidence that this spectacular celestial phenomenon and this spectacular literary phenomenon came and went at the same time?

Today we are remembering two people who basically did the same thing. Arnold Steinmetz was born March 7, 1936. Charles McCormick was born March 12, 1936. 5 days apart. And Chuck left us on November 7, 2022, followed by Arnie 2 days later. Two stellar people who greatly enriched the lives of those around them.

Arnie was born in Saginaw, Michigan and came to Florida as a child, growing up in Fort Lauderdale. Chuck was born and raised in Buffalo. When he was 10 years old he was in the church choir where he met a 9 year old girl named Jane. They weren't childhood sweethearts but they were childhood friends. They only started dating in high school.

After getting out of the army Arnie moved to the Keys in 1958. He was impressed with how the community came together to help one another in the wake of hurricane Donna. He fell in love with Marathon and opened its first dive shop. In 1968 he started Coral Construction. Chuck worked as a carpenter his whole life. Both were builders. Chuck made our conch candlesticks, the wooden cross downstairs, a bench for our proposed prayer garden and more. Arnie helped build 2 Lutheran churches, one in Marathon and this one here.

Chuck and Jane made visits to the Keys beginning in the '80s and finally bought a home in '96. They were active in the choir here. Chuck also sang in a barber shop quartet. Chuck and Jane loved music and musicals, a taste they passed on to their son, a composer.

Arnie's love of classical music led him to join the board of directors of the Florida Keys Concert Association. But while he loved music, he refused to sing. He knew his limits.

Chuck loved amateur theatre and Arnie became a part of Marathon Community Theater, building sets and even acting. He and I were in Fiddler on the Roof together. He joked that if he wanted to see his wife he had to be where she was: in the theatre.

Which reminds me: both he and Chuck loved to tell jokes, even if the response from others was groans rather than guffaws. I can still hear Chuck's guttural chuckles.

For fun Chuck raced cars and motorcycles off road. Arnie went diving and did crosswords in ink. So both men liked to live dangerously.

Both were also active Christians, dedicated to the good news of what God has done and is doing in Jesus Christ. Chuck once used his work experience to write a brief homily about the parallels between building a house and building a faith. Arnie would often approach me after the service to make astute comments on my sermon and ask about my take on things. We spent a long time talking the day before he had his heart attack.

But it wasn't all talk. Arnie, for one, drove cancer patients to their treatments and encouraged others to do the same.

And not only were they men of faith, trusting and following Jesus in this life, they were also men of hope. Paul said, “For if only in this life we have hope in Christ, we should be pitied more than anyone.” (1 Corinthians 15:19) A lot of what Jesus said—love your enemies, turn the other cheek, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me—make no sense if this life is the only one. As Paul says, “ If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” (1 Corinthians 15:32) If this life is the only one there is no justice in this universe. Chuck and Arnie didn't believe that. They believed in the God who is love, revealed in Jesus, who will make all things right in the end. In that Spirit they lived and reflected the love of God in their love of others.

It goes without saying that they loved and were loved by their wives and families. They loved and were loved by us. Both were big men who had big hearts and have left large holes in our hearts. The news of their passing in the same week in November hit hard. 

But Halley's comet will come again. And if there is a loving and just God we will see Chuck and Arnie again. Hopefully, they will have new jokes to share with us.