August 6, 2007, 7:00 PM

Vigil Service

St Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Nassau Bay, Texas

Firefighter Caleb
Firefighter Caleb's beloved fire gear. Here, you can pretty much see his fire collection - his bunker gear, his boots, his helmets, the firehouse key (on the yellow square above the bunker gear), and many pictures of Caleb in his gear. These are some of Caleb's most treasured possessions. He wore them time, and time, again when he relived his day on the ExxonMobil fire engine. And I am so glad he got to ride League City Engine 13 after all -- his last ride.
 "Daddy, am I a real firefighter?"

"Yes, son, you are"

Actual conversation between Caleb and Daddy, which occurred at least 50 times!

 

Cowboy Caleb
Caleb's first affection for cowboys was born at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which he first attended in February, 2006. He was instantly hooked. Caleb's last rodeo was in February, 2007, when he visited with his cousins Marissa and Julianna, and Mom and Dad.
 "Daddy, let's play horsie!"

 

At this point, the lasso went around Dad's neck, Dad got down on all 4's, and Caleb climbed onto Dad's back after first putting a horseblanket over Dad.

Dad then walked around the room on all 4's with Caleb riding! 

We bought stock in Neosporin and wide band-aids not long after.

 

Caleb's Other Personalities
"What the heck is all this stuff?"

When Caleb went to bed at night, he always wanted Dad to end the prayers in the same way. We would say,  "God bless precious, firefighter, Bob the Builder, Mover, Cleaner, Cowboy, Go-Kart rider, Golfer, Waiter, Chef, Soccer Player,  Caleb Joshua Ingram Boy."

Those were all the things Caleb was proud of being.  As Father Albert put it, he accomplished much in his short life!

So, Caleb's memories, as presented at his vigil service, were presented in the way that he liked to think of himself.

 
 

 

 Caleb's treasured John Deere tractor. This tractor literally had the back wheels worn off from riding arund the cul-de-sac. We had to order new ones and install them!  Caleb put miles, miles, and miles, on his tractor riding around the cul-de-sac out front.

 

 

Left -- Caleb lies in the front of the Church. He was privileged to spend the night, here, following the vigils service.

 

 

 

Right -- Deacon Luis shares the Gospel with us.
Left -- Deacon Luis "borrows" the blue bag from Caleb, so he can share it with everyone. This is the bag which Caleb packed before he left on his journey.

 

 

Right -- Our music minister, David Rofrano, leads the band. How beautiful the music was.

 
Miss Althea, Caleb's neighbor, shares some memories of Caleb. Stephanie, Caleb's cousin, shares some of her thoughts. Caleb's godparents and cousins, Jorge, Yvonne, Marissa, and Julianna, share their memories.
Our good friend, Erica (left) and her son, Drew (right) came all the way from Austin. Erica truly made the services special with her beautiful voice and Drew gave a very nice memory of Caleb. God bless them.
Caleb's cousin, Gwen, played her violin for him one last time. He loved to hear her play.

And our friends, Allan and Annette, shared some beautiful things with us.
Caleb remained in the church overnight, until the funeral mass the next morning. What a special place to be. "His last night at St Pauls," as Father Albert put it.