Warren Carnahan

They say it takes a village to raise a child. I am not sure if I believe that or not, I do know that there are a lot of people who have influenced my life. While I am not sure if it really takes a village to raise a child, I am equally sure it takes an entire church to guide the same child through life. I know this because I am quite sure that I was guided by many in my church. Some of those people passed through quickly and I am reminded of them by different events. However, there was a core group I can say had an immense impact on my life.

I can’t remember a time in my life that I did not attend the First Presbyterian Church in Wamego, I was there pretty much every Sunday from birth until I moved away to college. Church attendance in our house was not an option and not something to be questioned. Unless you were sick, or the cows were out, you went to church. Just as much as I never questioned going to church, I never thought about life without that core group of adults that I saw every Sunday.

Without at doubt one of those people was Warren Carnahan. I really cannot remember life without Warren, he was always there every Sunday. This past week Warren left us and left me to ponder just how big of an impact he had on my life. I know that Warren was around my entire life because he constantly reminded me that he had seen many of my finer moments.

Moments like the time the pastor asked us if we knew who was coming on Christmas Eve. I did, I had seen it on the radar on the evening weather. Santa Claus was apparently not the answer the pastor was looking for, but it did draw a lot of laughter from everyone except my parents. Warren saw the humor in that moment and the value in reminding me of it on a regular basis, especially when my kids reached that same age.

That was Warren’s signature trademark, at least when it came to me and I suspect when it came to a lot of people. Good natured teasing and ribbing, he would always come up to you with a twinkle in his eye and I always knew that the glint meant he had something in mind to tease me about. Oh, it was never meant as anything more than good natured fun and that teasing is something I will really miss. In a way the ribbing and poking always kept me grounded and I suspect that was part of its purpose.

Warren was also someone I very much held up as a mentor and someone I aspired to be like. He was always ready to talk farming, politics and especially K-State sports. I remember when I realized that we were having conversations about those very subjects. I had listened in on them when I was a kid but the day I realized that he wanted to discuss them with me was the day I realized maybe I was creeping toward adulthood.

I was also lucky enough to have worked for Warren in high school. Summer mornings I would go to his farm early in the morning and help he and his son Scott move irrigation pipe. I know some of you chuckle at the thought of someone thinking they were lucky to get to move irrigation pipe. No, the sand, mud and occasional skunk were not a lot of fun but the lessons I learned while doing it was where the lucky part came in.

I learned what it was like to do real work and I learned a lot about leadership along the way. Warren and Scott expected hard work and I learned very quickly that the expectation was a two-way street. They were there shoulder to shoulder with me showing me how to work hard and not expecting more than they put in themselves. I learned what it was like to lead by example and I would not trade those hours in the corn fields for anything.

Most importantly I learned by the example Warren set for me about how to be a Christian, a leader, a husband, a father and a good man. I realized this week that I am about the same age as Warren was when I first came to understand how important he was in my life. I hope that I have learned from his example and that I can help guide the youngsters in our church.

Tomorrow I will attend his funeral at the same church that he helped raise me in. I am sure there will be a twinge of sadness because I will not get that teasing that I so richly deserve and need. I will never forget that mischievous twinkle in his eye or the care I saw on his face each week. Yes, I am not sure about that village, but I know it takes a church to raise a child and I know that my church included Warren Carnahan and for that I was incredibly blessed.