Leslie Diestelkamp Has Died
Author Unknown
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 4, December 1995
(Most of you knew Leslie Diestelkamp and what a wonderful saint he was. He has gone on to be with the Lord after a lengthy illness following a stroke. The following is a letter from a father to his children who are away from home. All references that might identify the writer have been deleted. The message is worth sending to all of our children. Floyd D. Chappelear)
Dear Children,
We received word recently that Leslie Diestelkamp died, after several months in a nursing home as a result of a stroke ... You may remember him because he was in our home a few times, and held meetings in *** when we assembled in ***. He was one of my heroes in the faith. Strong and staunch in the Truth, yet loving and compassionate without compromising Truth. A great example.
Leslie and his first wife (Alice ... she died when Leslie was about 60 years old) reared five children. All five children are faithful Christians. Three of the children were boys: Karl, Al, and Roy. Al is an acquaintance of mine. Karl and Roy are personal friends. Leslie had two daughters. They both married godly men who preach the gospel: Robert Speer (a preacher and elder-acquaintance of mine) and Brother Hodges of Florida College (whom I don’t know). I know Leslie was a contented and happy man because of his steadfast faith in the Lord and the knowledge that his children are all unaffected by Satan's deceit and the ravages of sin. His children are bound for Heaven, and he will see them again!! That’s joy and contentment!
In a personal letter, Leslie’s youngest son, Roy, made a remark to me that I did not know. Apparently, this information came out at his funeral. (There were two funerals, one in Aurora, IL, where he died, and the other was in St. James, MO, where he grew up and obeyed the gospel. Apparently, Leslie loved the Lord with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength. He put the Lord as the first priority in his life. He sought first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. One bit of evidence tells the story ...
Leslie, as a sixteen-year-old lad, became a Christian upon hearing the gospel preached in the little country church of Christ in St. James, MO. Following his conversion in 1928 (the Great Depression and economic hardship were about to begin), Leslie walked 20 miles to put his Lord first by assembling with His church, the people of God. He walked 20 miles! Today, people complain if they can’t sleep in because they are tired, or complain about having to drive 20 miles twice on the Lord’s Day for assembling with the blood-bought body of Jesus. Leslie walked 20 miles because of his love for the Lord, the truth, and the church of our Lord. A great modern day example was left by Leslie, along with a greater legacy .... there are five of his children who are just as dedicated to the Truth and the Lord’s church as was the "old man" (a term of respect because Leslie spent his life learning the Lord’s way ... he didn’t grow up from being a young fool to being an old fool, like so many in the world do). I know that Leslie, as did Abraham, "died full of years and satisfied with life.”
I thought you would want to know about Leslie, since he had been in our home in ***. We were honored to have such a one call us brethren and friends and stay under our roof!
As you wish,
Dad
