Some people come into your life for a few moments but leave profound recollections behind, riches that cannot be always shared because they are so sacred. It is said that you know a value of a person when you see him/her relating to other younger than him/her and Dr. Fales was such a person, a man of character. I have met Mr. Fales trough prayer practically; his wonderful wife Sharon is the one I talked to during the last days of his life sympathy flowers. It is shocking and unexpected to have a stroke so far away from home, who would have thought Reading his obituary, questions like "Why now Why this way Why did it happen all the way to Romania Why" It is sometimes hard to understand the ways of the Lord, and so is it is the case now. There is one thing we know, we know that Jesus was by his bed the whole time during his intense suffering and he was never alone. Here is the main part of his obituary: "James Frederick Fales "Jim" of Athens, at the age of 66, departed this world and was taken home to be with our Lord on Sunday, August 3, 2008 at OBleness Memorial Hospital after suffering a stroke on a church mission trip in Romania. He was born in West Palm Beach, Florida on December 6, 1941, the son of the late Franklin A. & Ruth Ufford Fales. A Professor Emeritus at Ohio University, Dr. sympathy flowers James Fales was the former Chair of the Industrial Technology Department for 20 years and Director of the Center for Automatic Identification. He was Loehr professor emeritus and served as the Associate Director of the Robe Leadership Institute and Leader-in-Residence in the Global Leadership Center at Ohio University. He was also a recipient of the Don Percival Award and was recently awarded a distinguished alumni award from Texas A&M University. Jim held previous teaching posts at Purdue University and Texas A&M University and was considered one of the nations foremost educational authorities on bar coding. Jim is a graduate of Lake Worth (FL) High School, University of Miami (B. Ed. ) and Texas A&M University (M. Ed. & P. Ed. ). He was a Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE), a Certified Enterprise Integrator (CEI) and a Certified Engineering Manager (CEM). He received numerous awards for outstanding teaching and contributions to education, associations, business and industry. He was a frequent speaker at conferences and has authored many textbooks and articles. He was an active member, Sunday school teacher and former deacon at Albany Baptist Church where he served dutifully for the past 22 years. Jim is survived by his adoring wife Sharon; children Scott (Stacey) Fales, Jennifer Fales (Greg Morris), Beth (Reno) Carifa and Mark (Jessica) Fales; grandchildren, Sarah, Jake, Allison, Cameryn and Colin Fales; siblings Jane Roney, Don Fales and Cliff (Georgia) Fales; and by many loving nieces and nephews. Viewing hours will be Thursday, August 7th from 5-8PM at Jagers and Sons Funeral Home, 24 Morris Ave. , Athens. Funeral service will be Friday, August 8th at 1:00PM in the Albany Baptist Church, 5331 State St. , Albany. Viewing may also take place one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday. Burial will be in Alexander Cemetery, Hebbardsville. Flowers can be sent to funeral home or if you would like to contribute to the James F. Fales Scholarship fund in honor of Jim, please make checks payable to Ohio University Foundation with the memo line reading James F. Fales Scholarship. " Life did not pass him by, he reached essential and remarkable goals and he knew how to use the days he was given. Yet the most important of them all was a relationship that transcended this limited world, time, matter and space. Yes, he had the most important insurance: Jesus Christ and by Him, the eternal life. We have seen the obituary of a man who looked at life from the highest perspective: the perspective of eternity. Yes, death is just the beginning of the real life, the life that has no end. This is the way others saw him: Bruce Wray (St. Paul, Minnesota) wrote: "It was my privilege to work with Jim in the AIDC industry beginning in the mid-1980s when his wise counsel set us on the right track in developing a teacher's institute. Jim was a true gentleman, with unquestioned integrity, a great work ethic, and keen insights into 'the way things work. ' Beyond that, he was a genuinely decent and likable man, with a strong love for his family and his God. I was enriched by having known him; please accept my sincere sympathy in your time of loss. I pray that you will all be drawn closer to God, and to each other, during this difficult time. " "I worked with Dr. Fales for many years while serving as CEO of AIM Global sympathy flowers. I truly enjoyed working with him and supporting his mission at Ohio U. He was a good man and great promoter of AIDC technologies. The industry and planet lost a true contributor. My deepest sympathies go out to all family and friends. " Larry Roberts If you think you cant accomplish what Dr. James Fales has, academically speaking - as God gave each person different skills, various talents and abilities, different resources and intelligence levels - there is one thing and the most important example you can take from his life: take Jesus with you as he did. In men's eyes Dr. Fales will always remain an important and influential personality, but in God's eyes Dr. Fales is truly treasured, now and forever because the way God sees us is what truly counts for eternity. The funeral home hosted other three persons insideI wonder, when will my turn be No one can guaranty that we are still alive tomorrow What about my obituary If I had the chance to see it, would it make me proud What about you What will your obituary say Once again, life your life with the highest perspective in mind and you will have nothing to lose, not here nor in eternity. "For to me life is Christ and death is profit. " Philippians 1:21 "For if we have faith that Jesus underwent death and came back again, even so those who are sleeping will come again with Him by God's power. " 1 Thessalonians 4:14 God's precious Hands hold us all regardless of the side of the universe we are in, if we've passed the Jordan of death yet or not.