Sid Galloway Memoriam from Friendship Baptist Church

Anyone who knew Sid was immediately struck by his ‘brisk’ nature. He was a man that knew what he believed and stuck to that belief, and I liked him for that trait. You did not have to guess where Sid was on a position.

Sid was a friend of mine. He had many friends; I met one last Saturday at Fun Fest in Sun City Center. I could tell that he, like most of us, missed Sid a great deal. Since then I have thought of Sid more myself, and felt compelled to share this with his friends.

Several years ago, at a Wednesday evening prayer meeting, I heard Sid from a few rows behind me speak. Don’t remember what he was saying, but was caught up by the way he said it. After the meeting I met with Sid and told him he sounded a lot like someone I had heard speak before. Sid was a bit puzzled, and we passed it off. The next week I heard the voice and vocal inflections again, and was more convinced than before. So, I wrote a sentence on a piece of paper and after the meeting gave it to Sid and asked him to read it to me. He did and I exclaimed, “that’s it, General MacArthur sounds just like you”. Sid in his way shrugged it off, but I was convinced.

Every so often, I would have Sid say those words; he would chuckle in his way, tighten his lips and repeat the statement. I was always blown away at just how much Douglas MacArthur and Sid Galloway sounded alike.

Over the next few years Sid became ill and was up and down from that point on. I remember visiting Sid in the hospital before he went to be with his daughter in Cincinnati, OH. We had some very serious talks together, since we both knew his situation was serious. He shared with me that he was ready to go ‘home’ whenever the Lord called him. Everything Sid said and did was a confirmation of that.

The last time I spoke with Sid was a few days before he passed. I had called to speak to his daughter to get an update on his condition. Sid answered the phone, which was a surprise and special for me. We talked for a few minutes. Sid told me the Doctors had no encouraging words for him. Sid told me again he was good with it. After talking just a little longer, I asked Sid if he remembered the ‘statement’, and Sid said to me:

“These proceedings are concluded.”

*These were the last words spoken by General Douglas MacArthur on the Battleship Missouri, 1945, at the surrender of Japan to end WWII.

Sid and General MacArthur were both correct. In just a few days Sid was ‘home’ with the Lord. Sid set an example and witness for all of us. We need to be able to say, like General MacArthur (who sounded just like Sid), when our time comes and the battles are over, and we have fought the good fight - “These proceedings are concluded.”

George Partin, March 2012