A Personal Speech By Justin Paul Tegeler

Justin Paul Tegeler graced us all with his presence and enormous spirit 34 years ago on a warm, sunny day on august 25th, 1983. He left us in this world too soon on January 27th, 2018. He should be here still, he had so much more to give, his love, his laughter, and his exuberant personality that was big enough to fill 20 lifetimes. But even though he is no longer with us physically, he will always be with us in hour hearts and memories. Let us not fill this day with sorrow and despair, but we shall remember him with joy and happiness in our hearts. After all, it was his wish that there be no sad faces and no crying allowed at his funeral. Justin wanted us all to be happy and celebrate his life with great memories, laughter, and most
He had every album they ever made and would blare their music on the radio without a care of what others would think. He also had a passion for old muscle cars, especially the 1979 Chevy Nova, his first car at 16 years old. It was a dream of his to one day restore that beast to its original splendor to use as his everyday car. Every now and again, he would see a Nova on the road and you could see his appreciation for it. He would then talk your ear off for a good hour or so about all the good memories he had with that car and that he would someday fix it up again. He also loved shoes. Most women can’t say that their husband has more shoes that her, but I could! He was such a sneakerhead, loved his Jordans. But he wasn’t about white and ordinary, oh no! They had to reflect his personality! His shoe wardrobe was full of rainbow colors of neon blues, greens, oranges, and hot pinks. I called them Barbie puke shoes, but he loved them. Half of our garage was dedicated to his
He grew up with many dogs like Shawnta the little beagle pup, Beethoven the feisty little terrier, Noah the cuddle boy that unfortunately ran away before his time, but Justin’s all time favorite dog growing up was Tucker. Tucker was a blonde Cocker Spaniel that was Justin’s partner in crime. They did everything together. Tucker even had a squeaker toy that was shaped like a chicken leg. They would play with that toy for hours. I remember hearing a story that Justin hid the chicken leg from that poor dog. Tucker sulked for days and no other toy would suffice for him. They even bought another chicken leg toy for him, but he knew better. Justin told me he forgot where he hid the toy! It was a few months before anyone found it. If I remember the story correctly, it had gotten stuck down in the couch cushions. The moment Justin found that toy, he squeaked it and Tucker came running. I don’t think Tucker let that toy out of his sight after that. The way Justin talks about Tucker, I feel like I missed out on meeting a great dog. Tucker ended up having a brain tumor that was absolutely heartbreaking, and he had to be put down. According to Justin, Tucker was the best dog he ever had, no other dog has come close. Since Tucker, Justin always wanted another Cocker Spaniel. They are hard to come by, so we made other memories with the dogs we had while we were