BAYHAM: Final Thoughts On The Passing of Luke Letlow
By Mike Bayhem, The Hayride
The day after Congressman-elect Luke J. Letlow died, a mutual friend made a point of going up to the fourth floor of the Longworth House Office Building to see Office Number 1408, which was to be occupied by the 41 year old native of Start, Louisiana.
The seal of the State of Louisiana had been affixed alongside the entrance to the office but something was missing: the newly elected congressman’s name plate.
In that void were four drill holes where Luke’s name was to have been bolted.
On Sunday, January 3rd Luke was to have been sworn in as the youngest member of Louisiana’s congressional delegation.
Instead on Saturday, January 2nd Luke’s funeral was held in Monroe, underscoring the tragedy of a light suddenly extinguished just as it was about to burn brightest.
Luke’s boss, mentor, and friend Dr Ralph Abraham delivered an eloquent eulogy that captured his protege’s essence, from his messy truck to his insatiable pursuit of genealogical data.
Luke’s services have been uploaded on YouTube and if you didn’t know Luke and you have both the time and the Kleenex you can get an idea of what kind of outstanding young man Louisiana lost.
Luke was that rare politician who lived by Tip O’Neil’s adage, all politics is local. Luke lived that rule out of natural sincere instinct and not calculation.
Luke never forgot his country roots; in fact he built an extensive website and Facebook page dedicated to them.