My Dad

William Trent Joblin
September 23, 1952 - March 10, 2008

Last Monday, my Dad passed away after a long battle with lung cancer. He was a great Dad. He always made sure that we knew that he loved us everyday. He would say, "Hey, You know I love you." He supported us in every endeavor we pursued. He loved listening to us sing and play our instruments, even though he would tease us and say things,like, "Is someone killing a cat in there?" or howl like a coyote. He had a really eclectic music taste, which helped all of us kids gain an appreciation for all different types of music. He loved to read, both fiction and non-fiction books. He loved to read the scriptures and books on church history and books written by the apostles.

It's sad to see him go so soon. I feel the worst for my sisters, though, because they still have so many major milestones ahead of them that he won't, physically, be there for. It's funny, though, because sometimes I feel kind of sad, but the rest of the time I just feel like he is just living somewhere else now, which is kind of true, I guess. I think that after seeing all that he went through at the end and all the pain he was in, that it was more of a relief than anything, because I know that I, personally, didn't want to see him get any worse than he already had to right before he passed away. Because we knew that he was dying, we had time to prepare for it and to do some of the mourning and grieving before he actually passed away. Sometimes I feel like I am an insensitive jerk, or something, because I'm not depressed about it. Sure, I think about him and about how he is no longer with us and I know that there will be some days that it is hard for me to not have my Daddy around, but after seeing his pain I know that he is in a better place. In his last couple of weeks he kept saying that he wanted to 'go home' . When asked about it, he said that he wanted to go home with his Heavenly Father and that it was way more beautiful there than it is here. I believe it. He also had some of his relatives who have already passed, including my brother, with him those last few weeks, so I know that he is alright. I know that the Lord knows what he is doing and that everything is done for a reason, even if that is hard to swallow sometimes. I hope that my kids will be able to remember him, at least a little bit, and I guess that any other kids I have in the future will have to meet him before they come down.

Here is a copy of the obituary that was in the newspaper:

Funeral services for William Trent Joblin, 55, of Athens are scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Athens. Graveside services with military honors will be held at 2:30 p.m. at the Dallas/Ft. Worth National Cemetery in Grand Prairie. He passed away Monday morning at his residence. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the care of the Cooper Funeral House of Athens.Mr. Joblin was born Sept. 23, 1952, in Shreveport, La. to Charlie and Kathleen Wilson Joblin. As a part of a military family he had lived in numerous locations and graduated from high school in North Burlington, N.J. He joined the United States Air Force in 1976 and served nine years in military intelligence in Greece and Hawaii. He attended the University of Mississippi graduating from the school of Pharmacy in 1991. He was employed as a pharmacist in New Mexico, Utah, Wisconsin and moved to Athens in 2005 where he was employed as a pharmacist with East Texas Medical Center. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and was affiliated with the Henderson County Performing Arts Center. He was preceded in death by his father and a son, Orrin Trent Joblin in 1983.Survivors include his wife, Anita Joblin of Athens; son, Joshua Joblin of Orem, Utah; daughters and sons-in-law, Jillian and Scott Robertson, Chaia and David Lane, Sarah, Elizabeth, Moriah, Savannah and Sariah Joblin all of Athens; mother, Kathleen Coleman of Provo, Utah; brother and sister-in-law, Terry and Karla Joblin of Tupelo, Miss.; aunt Melody Sue Martin of Maroa, Ill. and four grandchildren.The family will receive condolences at the Cooper Funeral Home on Wednesday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Joblin Memorial Fund at the Citizens National Bank of Athens.
Published in the Athens Daily Review from 3/12/2008 - 3/14/2008.