BRET’S TESTIMONY
Before I launch into Bret’s testimony, I need all of
you to know the significance of this day.
Five years ago, to the day, at about this time, I received the dreaded
phone call that many of you received on November 13, 2011. My best friend, Tina Schultz’ husband,
Michael, died of a sudden heart attack at the Tehachapi Hospital
Shortly after Mike’s appointment with God, Bret and I
talked about the verse in Psalms about how God becomes a father to the
fatherless and a protector of the widow.
I asked him if he would commit to this Biblical principal with me, and
also the one in James 1:27, that states, “Pure religion and undefiled before
God and the Father is this: To visit the
fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from
the world.” My amazing husband took up
the call. We did our best to walk this
lonely road with Tina, Daniel, David, and Angela, and Bret lived out those
verses in Psalms and James, by taking care of Tina and her kids, no matter what
they needed. So the implication of this
day is not lost on our Heavenly Father.
He had already written our story before we were ever born, and all He
ever asked us to do is to trust in Him and rely on Him for the strength to obey
and honor Him.
Bret must have been born already knowing who he was. It has been truly endearing to hear all of you
depict his “aura” in so many different ways.
Here are the ones I actually remember:
“genuine, ‘it,’ the real deal, example, model, special, fair, kind,
loyal, unique, had ‘a presence.’” When
we were dating in college, Bret was a bus route leader and bus driver in
Chicago Heights, IL, and he would visit homes and pick up children and bus them
back and forth to the enormous First Baptist Church of Hammond, IN. The associate pastor in charge of the bus
ministry thirty years ago described Bret as being “distinguished.” However, I think my most favorite recent explanation
for his uniqueness was that he had a “Troneness” about him. This description is very apropos, since he sort
of “osmosised” it from his father, Douglas Mac Trone (Who was named after
General Douglas MacArthur, by the way.).
Born
and raised in Colorado and Wyoming, Bret spent a lot of time traveling over the
Rockies, hunting, fishing, and camping with family and friends. It was on one of these Colorado trips with
his parents and aunt and uncle that his family’s lives were forever
changed. Bret and his brothers were
traveling with his dad and mom over Slick Rock, and his Aunt Kathryn and Uncle James
were following them in a Ford Mustang, with his four year old sister,
Brenda. The brakes on the Mustang gave
out, and their car went over a cliff.
Bret’s aunt broke her neck, barely survived, and his sister died before
they got her to the hospital. The
anguish and grief of this event is what caused Bret’s dad and mom and aunt and
uncle to receive Christ as their Savior, within weeks of each other. From that day on, they dedicated themselves
to raising their families in a Godly manner and teaching them about the
importance of salvation and Biblical values.
Bret’s
dad was one of the original founders of the Wyoming Technical Institute in Laramie , Wyoming
He
told me about this experience when we were dating, and I asked him to share it
with Jonathon and Deanna when they were growing up, on more than one
occasion. One night, at the age of
thirteen, he said he had one of the scariest moments of his life, while he was
cleaning a room at Wyoming Tech. For
some reason, his entire family and some friends were all there after hours.
Anyway, Bret said it got very quiet, and he felt this ominous feeling, like
something had happened. He started
running all over the school calling out for his dad and mom, brothers, and
friends, and NO ONE answered. He checked
everywhere, and all the rooms were empty.
After looking for them for what seemed forever, he became convinced that
the rapture had occurred, and the Lord had come back to take His children to
Heaven. Bret was sure he had been left
behind! So he got down on his knees and
asked Jesus to save him right then and there.
Shortly after that, his missing family and friends showed up. I never did get the skinny on where they had
been all that time!
Bret’s relationship with Christ, after receiving Him as
Savior was what made him the man that he was.
Without Christ, it would be impossible for Bret to be the kind of son,
husband, dad, brother, family member, friend, Captain, boss, or employee you
remember him to be. Yes, Bret was an
amazing man, and the proof of that is in the wonderful outpouring of people who
are here today for his memorial…but Christ is even more amazing. Bret knew this, and though he was somewhat
quiet and reserved, his life spoke louder than words. So when you think of Bret moving forward,
don’t forget to consider His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He would want you to know Him personally.
