Rolfe Dorsey

I have had literally hundreds of mentors in my life. Many of them have been older; many have been peers; and some have been much younger than me. Some of them spoke into my life for years, and some just for a short season. But there have been three very important long-term mentors in my life. My dad, Pete, is one of these. There are two others who are not blood relatives, but who have helped to shape me for ministering to others since I was a teenager. I cannot describe in words all that they have done for me in helping me become a servant of Christ. If you see any good in me, you can thank my dad, Rolfe Dorsey and John McCall. For all the bad you recognize in me, that’s Larry.

I met both Dr. Rolfe Dorsey and Dr. John McCall when I was 19 and a sophomore at Mississippi College. In different seasons in my life over the past 44 years one or both of these men have spoken into my life in such a way that I have been a better husband, father, grandfather, friend, colleague and certainly a better follower of Christ.

I shared in another post about how I was hurting that one of these mentors, Rolfe Dorsey, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last week. I have learned today that the cancer has spread to his liver.  This was devastating news to hear. Rolfe and I have talked about his death for the past 10 years. There are no other family members engaged in his life since his wife died of MS over 25 years ago. He calls our family his only family.

A couple months ago I remarked to Cheryl that I thought Rolfe was showing signs of dementia. In the past six months he has lost significant weight and most recently he has had difficulty swallowing. On Tuesday, I asked him to go to the emergency room because he could not swallow at all. Everything has happened so quickly in the last few days. He knows he is dying and he has refused any treatment. He has become belligerent with the nurses because he wants to go home to die. Rolfe is ready to be with Jesus. He asked me long ago not to let his caregivers do anything to prolong his life. His physician told me today over the telephone that in all his years of practice he has never seen anyone as prepared and ready to depart this life as Rolfe is.

As I write these words I am on a plane headed to Louisville where Rolfe is hospitalized. I am going to say goodbye, or rather, see you later, to a dear friend. As his only family, my responsibility is to carry out his last requests. I wish it was not me. This is so hard. I have to make decisions about his life and his death. But, the Lord has given me a peace about this experience. I have listened to my mentor hundreds of times over the years. He has not let me down. Now he is depending on me to do the right thing for him. Rolfe Dorsey has shown me how to live. Now he is showing me how to die and how to join the angels in glory before the feet of Jesus. PRAISE! JOY!

[note: I wrote this Friday night, but I have been busy all day getting Rolfe moved into a palliative unit to spend his last few days in this life. It has been a hard time in many ways, but it has truly been a time of joy as God gave us so much time together—4 am – present time 8pm Saturday. He has not had any sedative since last night, and he has been alert all day. We discussed all the arrangements for his memorial service. What a joy! He is not afraid of death, and he has chosen how he wants to die. I have been reading verses of Praise from the Bible. He is indeed ready to meet His creator. AMEN!]