Carl P. Favre – 1950 – 2015
Photo by Nesossi Studios
“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” – Sir Winston Churchill
It is with a heavy heart that we prepare this issue of Fort Bend Focus for press. As many of you know, Mary Favre is one of us – part of our team at absolutely! focus media. Mary has served as a contributor over the years, and the loss of her dear husband and soulmate Carl is especially poignant amongst our team.
Like so many in Fort Bend, Carl and Mary are members of our family. Their love and unwavering support of our community has made them ours. Carl was honored as one of our GEMS of Fort Bend – one of the three original Generous, Enthusiastic Men Serving. These words embodied the very soul of Carl Favre. He was just such a man, and on a personal note, Carl was one of the most amazing men I have ever met. He exemplified the very spirit of what we intended a GEM to be.
I’ll never forget meeting Carl and Mary for breakfast to share with them our mission of giving back to our community through our brand new initiative, GEMS. Carl loved the concept and was so supportive, that is until Lisa and I told him that he was selected as a GEM for our debut event. His response was simple: “No.” You see, this Godly man felt that so many others were more deserving of this honor than he. As we all know, nothing could have been further from the truth.
When I interviewed Carl for GEMS, I asked him to share his philosophy of service. “A quote by Sir Winston Churchill says it all,” shared Carl. “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. I know Churchill’s words to be so true. As a person of faith, I do believe that we all have been blessed and are called to share our blessings with others.”
Carl Favre was Fort Bend’s blessing – he was our blessing. He touched so many lives in our community with his quiet benevolence and giving spirit, and I, for one cannot imagine attending a community event and not seeing his smiling face. I told Mary when I learned that Carl left us that I knew why God wanted Carl with him in heaven. It was for the same reason we all wanted Carl here. It is simple: Carl was loved, admired, respected and needed that much, and now, Carl can continue sharing his generous heart, kind spirit and amazing grace from above.
I always end this column by saying “stay focused.” Stay focused, indeed, on the people who are important in your life, the causes that have your heart and the blessings that have been bestowed upon you. And as Carl said, “Share your blessings with others.”
Patti
