John Breaux–Everyone’s Angel

Sometimes we think we need resources to have an impact. John Breaux proved to be the exception. John was killed one week ago when a car veered off the road and struck John while he was picking up trash. Today the funeral service at Flatirons Church in Lafayette was packed. The church started filling up at 10am and by 11am nearly 2,000 people had packed in for the memorial service with an overflow crowd looking in through the overflow room. The mayor of Louisville spoke first paying a tribute to a man everyone called “friend.”

John was ubiquitous in our community. Everyone in our town of 20,000 knew John. He was on his bike, with two trash bags hanging from the handle bars. He was there to open a door at Starbuck’s or he was shagging carts at Albertson’s. In the cold of winter he was shoveling sidewalks in downtown Louisville. In the heat of summer, he would be pulling weeds out of public spaces. He had a contageous smile and waved to everyone.

After the mayor spoke, firemen and policemen spoke, followed by John’s roommate for 8 years and John’s aunts and cousins. There were so many kind thing that were said about John. When John came home at night his sister-in-law would ask, “John, where is your coat?” “I gave it to a friend.” “Where is your hat?” “I gave it to a friend.” “Where are your gloves?” “I gave them to a friend.” “What friends?” “They are all my friends.” And we all were. John was a committed believer. When he was asked why he served day in and day out he responded, “I need to be Jesus to the people.” In his simple way he got it. Better yet, he did it better than anyone I have ever known. If one doesn’t think service makes a difference, you didn’t know John Breaux.

In my lifetime there will never be a funeral in our community as large or as meaningful as the one we attended today. When the audience was asked if John ever waved to them every hand of 2000 people went up. It was only fitting that as John’s casket was carrried from the church, 2000 people waved good-bye.

Holding a picture of Jesus

 If you look closely at John’s hands you’ll see there is still dirt under his fingernails. It’s hard to keep one’s hands clean picking up the world’s trash. But in those hands there is a picture of Jesus–a picture he always carried with him. Over the years, the community gave John many awards and he was not unaware of his notoriety. Yet he would always say, “You want to see the best known man in town?” Then he’d pull out this picture of Jesus. To see a brief tribute to John by pastor Jim Burgen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zct5t3JKBo