On December 18, 2022, the Camp Joy family unexpectedly lost a dear member. Aaron Lentz, who had grown up camping here and served on summer staff for the previous three summers, passed away after suffering a seizure. Aaron had served as a counselor for two summers before serving as the operations staff supervisor during the summer of 2022.
Despite Aaron’s reserved personality, his height ensured that he was hard to miss. He was a familiar face to many of our summer campers, juniors and teens alike. In the wake of his passing, many staff members shared their memories of serving alongside Aaron at camp. A constant theme was his wonderful sense of humor. Whether it was singing a silly song or an impromptu dance, Aaron was never afraid to poke fun at himself and make other people laugh.
We asked some of our summer staff members to share their memories of Aaron:
- “Aaron was a great friend. He was the kind of guy who loved having fun, and goofing off, but he was also one of the first people who would come and point you back to Christ. He was always taking time with God seriously and loved sharing it with others. One of my favorite memories with Aaron had to be summer of 2020. One week when I was his co-counselor, we had a punishment where we had to join the losing cabin of the week on stage singing a song. When we got up on stage, I looked over and saw Aaron swaying back and forth with some of the guys, holding a hand sanitizer bottle as his microphone and singing loudly. He really did not care what other people thought, and he was having a blast. It really helped teach me to be the same way! I will always remember Aaron and how fun he was to be around, but also what a Godly impact he left on my life. Can’t wait to see him again one day!”
- “I remember during the summer of 2020, when Aaron and I were on the same team of counselors. We had planned a complex silent cheer where Aaron played an integral role as a pretend janitor. I had my back turned during his act, but I could tell from the reactions around me that Aaron was going off-script, and the joke was landing. Afterwards, he was reluctant to even recollect what his ad-libbing even was. It was another counselor who told me that Aaron had taken a mop stick, used the team shirt of our opponent as a mop head, and scrubbed the courtyard bricks during our cheer – a hilarious improvisation. That’s the kind of guy Aaron was. His meek spirit was truly admirable.”
- “I am extremely saddened by the passing of my dear friend, Aaron Lentz. Aaron was a man who loved the Lord and sought to show that love to others. I worked the past three summers with Aaron at Camp Joy, where I specifically saw this love enacted. Throughout each of these summers, I recall that Aaron always tried to demonstrate a teachable attitude toward how could improve his interactions with his campers. With this attitude, he grew in his people abilities each summer. In addition, I have fond memories of conversations both spiritual and political with Aaron. He often had unique and thought-provoking insight on deep topics, demonstrating his attention to detail. I also miss performing funny skits with Aaron. The most recent skit we did together involved Aaron dressing up as a plant and tackling me several times! Though I am saddened by his death, I am extremely thankful for Aaron’s life here on earth. He did not waste it. I personally saw Aaron serve and live life to the fullest. I also know that he had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and was confident of his eternal security because of Chris. Therefore, I am thankful that Aaron is now experiencing the joy of knowing God to the fullest!”
- “I remember in the summer of 2020 was when Aaron and I were on the counseling staff together. My favorite memory of Aaron has to be the time he lost a cabin challenge. For context, cabin challenges are a fun way for cabins from opposite teams to compete in mini competitions during the week and if won, earn points for their team. However, the losing cabin or counselor of the cabin, is given a consequence. Aaron’s consequence for losing a cabin challenge included a public performance of his own rendition of “You Are My Sunshine.” To my surprise, Aaron was more than happy to perform in the dining hall during one of our meals and the campers loved it. Aaron had a way of making a crowd laugh when he was on stage for skit night or in our team meeting. He truly had a heart for the Lord, and it was clear in the way he sought to serve the Lord as much as he could while at camp. I am glad I got to meet and know Aaron Lentz.”
As alluded to above, this past summer Aaron took his comedic talents to the stage in our Variety Show, masquerading as an over-sized plant with a rather aggressive (and unexpected) personality. It was a crowd-pleaser each and every week. That skit, a classic part of our repertoire, has a special place in our history, and there will be many who will think of Aaron the next time we introduce that skit in the Variety Show.
It’s important to have fun at camp, and Aaron excelled at it, but he was far more concerned with the spiritual condition of his campers than their amusement. He was a dedicated counselor who demonstrated great patience and love for the campers under his care. It is a blessing to know that Aaron is residing in Heaven, and undoubtedly smiling. While there’s more work for us to do, we know that we will see Aaron again when God calls us to Heaven someday.
Praise the Lord for the hope we have in Christ Jesus. Please keep the Lentz family in your prayers.
