Although perhaps a bit on the old side to have done so, as a grammar school student in the mid-50s, I wasn't above watching Captain Kangaroo (having previously enjoyed Bob Keeshan, unbeknownst to me at the time, as Clarabelle the Clown on the Howdy Doody Show).
Then, years later, like Fred Rogers, who reposed 11 months ago almost to the day, Bob Keeshan entertained my 3 older children with his gently humorous, never violent, programs. That their mom's uncle was was the spitting image of the Captain, and an equally gentle soul, made him that much more a favorite in our house. (Each in turn delighted in assuring their younger sibs that Uncle Gordon and the Captain were indeed one and the same and how lucky was Aunt Elizabeth to be married to him!).
There are those who will slough off his passing as merely being that of another television figure whom parents used as an electronic baby-sitter, rather than spending meaningful, quality time with their children in more intellectual pursuits. To them, I wish them well in finding enough hours in their day to be able to spend all the time they'd like with their children. For many of us, much as we despise it, the pace of the modern world denies us the luxury of doing so consistently. And, those who, like me, have young children know how difficult it is to find entertainment for them that is interesting, informative, and fun and which avoids the gratuitous violence, sexual content, and vulgar language that are such hallmarks of today's television, film, music, and video game fare.
People such as Jim Henson (of Sesame Street), Fred Rogers, and Bob Keeshan, all of blessed memory, represent a genre that had at heart a commitment to providing children with venues through which they might better understand, appreciate, and participate with their fellow human beings in making the world a better place in which to live. Theirs was truly a mission and a ministry from God; we are all the better for them having been among us and the lesser for the Lord having taken them back to Himself.
Memory eternal to this gentle man and gentleman, Captain Kangaroo.
O Lord, receive the soul of Your servant, Bob, whom You have taken from this life, and lead it to rest in a place of light, happiness, and peace, where there is neither pain nor suffering, neither grief nor sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, remember the years of service that Your servant gave to You in his exercise of a ministry to the little ones, Your children, entertaining them, teaching them, and helping them to enjoy and benefit from the years of innocent bliss that You grant to them, rather than demanding of them that they grow to and experience adulthood before their time. Lord, forgive him every sin he has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is no man who lives and does not sin, for You alone are without sin and You are our Resurrection and the Life.
And, Lord, in Your Wisdom, grant to us that others of his ilk will take up the mission and ministry of bringing Your children appropriate opportunities for entertainment, which he did so well.
