He came from the fields, where the good earth grows,
Son of farmers with a strong back and a heart full of hope.
Twenty-three children, and he stood in line,
Number seven in the world, but number one in Trudy’s eyes.
With calloused hands and a dream so wide,
He built his own house with his faith as a guide.
Chorus
Eighty years of grace, eighty years of light,
A quiet, gentle giant who taught us wrong from right.
Protector of his family, leader in this land,
We honor you today, Dad, the power in your hands.
Eighty years of love, and we thank God above,
For the man you are, the man we’re so proud of.
Verse 2
Electrician by trade, made the darkness shine,
Turned a house into a home with every wire lined.
A father of three, a daughter and two sons,
And grandsons—eight strong—every one carries on.
And now great-grands run the path he paved,
His legacy is living in the lives he saved.
Chorus
Eighty years of grace, eighty years of light,
A quiet, gentle giant who taught us wrong from right.
Protector of his family, leader in this land,
We honor you today, Dad, the power in your hands.
Eighty years of love, and we thank God above,
For the man you are, the man we’re so proud of.
Bridge
From councilman to deputy mayor, and the NAACP,
You stood tall for justice, for our people to be free.
And through it all your heart stayed humble and kind,
A husband for 56 years, with your sweetheart by your side.
Met her as a child, loved her as a man—
Together you built this life with God’s perfect plan.
Breakdown (Soft, emotional)
Quiet giant… steady hand…
Our foundation… our father… the leader of our land.
Your footsteps guide us every day,
And Dad, we celebrate you in every single way.
Final Chorus (big & warm)
Eighty years of grace, eighty years of light,
A quiet, gentle giant who still shines so bright.
Protector of his family, leader in this land,
We honor you today, Dad, the power in your hands.
Eighty years of love—your legacy is true,
And everything we are… we learned from you.
Outro
Here’s to many more years, and the stories yet to tell,
To our father, our hero—Wayne, we love you well.
