Locke Remembers Randy Walgamuth, Says We Are All Sinners In The Eyes Of God
February 29, 2024 at 1:45 a.m.
His name was Randy. Mayberry had Otis on the Andy Griffith show, Warsaw had Randy Walgamuth.
I have known him for over 25 years and tried to help as best I knew how.
There were so many who reached out to Randy with food, coffee, “smokes”, clothing...the list goes on and on. Randy had been abused as a boy and medicated his pain with alcohol. Thus he became the “town drunk” with a rap sheet as long as your arm.
He lived in the woods and alleys and often noted his Boy Scout training helped him to survive. He had demons that plagued him. He could panhandle but he resisted being loved. He was horrendous when he was inebriated.
Often when the weather was cold I would go out and try to find him, worried he had frozen to death. Out of mercy law enforcement would arrest him and a Judge at times would put him in jail so he was out of the elements. Walgamuth was court ordered to Fellowship Missions and over time it was discovered he had cancer.
Finally he was taken to Warsaw Meadows and received care until his death on February 24th.
Something changed in Randy those last few weeks. He began to let you pray with him. Talk about Jesus.
The last time I saw him alert I was leaving his room when he said, “Ken, I love you.” I turned and went back to him and said, “Randy, I love you but Jesus loves you more!”
We prayed one more time. He was unresponsive the next day but a strange thing happened. Randy looked peaceful. Many came to visit him and we all agreed it was a countenance we had not seen before.
He died with dignity in a warm bed, a testimony to our community for everyone who assisted him. He was my brother and though there were times I wanted to deck him, the Jesus in me called to love. It would be easy to judge him but we are all sinners in the eyes of God. The flames of hell flicker at all of our feet and our only hope is in Jesus and His blood shed on the cross to forgive us of our sins.
In Romans 10:9 it says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
No matter what you have done, my friend, you are not outside of God’s love! Warsaw’s “Otis” is a testimony to that grace and mercy. Repent and be saved today!
Ken Locke is community ministries director of The Salvation Army in Warsaw and director of the Greater Warsaw Ministerial Association. Have ideas for this column? Go to www.gwma.info.
His name was Randy. Mayberry had Otis on the Andy Griffith show, Warsaw had Randy Walgamuth.
I have known him for over 25 years and tried to help as best I knew how.
There were so many who reached out to Randy with food, coffee, “smokes”, clothing...the list goes on and on. Randy had been abused as a boy and medicated his pain with alcohol. Thus he became the “town drunk” with a rap sheet as long as your arm.
He lived in the woods and alleys and often noted his Boy Scout training helped him to survive. He had demons that plagued him. He could panhandle but he resisted being loved. He was horrendous when he was inebriated.
Often when the weather was cold I would go out and try to find him, worried he had frozen to death. Out of mercy law enforcement would arrest him and a Judge at times would put him in jail so he was out of the elements. Walgamuth was court ordered to Fellowship Missions and over time it was discovered he had cancer.
Finally he was taken to Warsaw Meadows and received care until his death on February 24th.
Something changed in Randy those last few weeks. He began to let you pray with him. Talk about Jesus.
The last time I saw him alert I was leaving his room when he said, “Ken, I love you.” I turned and went back to him and said, “Randy, I love you but Jesus loves you more!”
We prayed one more time. He was unresponsive the next day but a strange thing happened. Randy looked peaceful. Many came to visit him and we all agreed it was a countenance we had not seen before.
He died with dignity in a warm bed, a testimony to our community for everyone who assisted him. He was my brother and though there were times I wanted to deck him, the Jesus in me called to love. It would be easy to judge him but we are all sinners in the eyes of God. The flames of hell flicker at all of our feet and our only hope is in Jesus and His blood shed on the cross to forgive us of our sins.
In Romans 10:9 it says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
No matter what you have done, my friend, you are not outside of God’s love! Warsaw’s “Otis” is a testimony to that grace and mercy. Repent and be saved today!
Ken Locke is community ministries director of The Salvation Army in Warsaw and director of the Greater Warsaw Ministerial Association. Have ideas for this column? Go to www.gwma.info.