He Spoke I Went

Tisa—

Today would have been our 30th wedding anniversary.

February 17, 1996.

Marrying you, loving you, and raising a family with you has been the greatest blessing of my life. You noticed the overlooked, cheered for the struggling, and showed what Christlike love and service looked like in everyday life.

You were fierce in the truest sense of the word—fierce in faith, fierce in loyalty, fierce in love.

When cancer entered our story, you refused to let it write the ending. You chose faith over fear and hope over despair. The words of your personal mission statement still echo in my heart:

“I have faith in Him. I have hope through Him. I have fight in me.”

And you lived every word.

You fought—not just for yourself, but for our children, for me, and for so many others who found strength because you stood beside them. Even when you knew you might never ring the victory over cancer bell yourself, you celebrated every person who did. That was you—always lifting, always giving, always inspiring.

One of your favorite hymns I Will Follow God’s Plan reads, “My life is a gift; my life has a plan; My life has a purpose; in heav’n it began..” Tisa, your life was a gift—to our family, to your friends, and to everyone who felt your warmth and your laughter.

Though I miss you deeply, I am not without hope. I have faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. I know Heavenly Father has a divine plan for you, for our family, and for me. Jesus Christ carried us through the hardest seasons of life, and He continues to carry me and our family.

Through His Atonement, and through the Restoration of the gospel and priesthood keys, I know that families are eternal—and that our temple covenants did not end with death.

God be with you until we meet again, my love.