Great Uncle Don

My Great-uncle Don headed home to heaven this month. Here is just a brief number of my thoughts on what made him so awesome, and why I will really miss him.

My first memory of my great-uncle is playing with him when I was about 5. I remember we were playing school, and he wanted it to be naptime and I thought he should wake up for class :-) Although I may have been a little frustrated, I still just remember him smiling. And I remember that that sweet little house of 3 bedrooms was packed full of people - at least 2 families of 4 and Aunt Evie and Uncle Don, plus many more people during the day. They certainly prioritized people.

When I moved to Abilene, Uncle Don was certainly in his 80s. He and Aunt Evie drove down to pick up my dad after he moved me in and took us to lunch. Over my spring break later that year, they surrendered their living room floor to a friend and I while we scrapbooked for days! And when Jason and I moved to Lubbock, they continued to invite us into their home like family for so many occasions. He always gave me a hard time for being Bill Jones's daughter - I liked that. He sure loved my dad.

I remember climbing into his car with my little cousin Kendra right after I had shared some perfumed lotion with her. He said the most perfect thing: 'It smells like princesses in here!"

I actually got to hang out with Uncle Don at the hospital twice. Once he fell and got hurt helping Jason and I move in. How many 80 year olds do you know who help people move? And how many do you know who are humble enough to allow you to take them to the emergency room? I also kept him company a few times while he was in the hospital with pneumonia. I got to read aloud from a book to him. He was wonderful company.

It was amazing to hear so many beautiful things about his life at the memorial service. Since I knew him best when he was in his 80s, I guess my greatest memory of him will be that he aged so well. So many older men get grumpy and unpleasant - perhaps understandably so because it's hard to lose freedoms and health. But Uncle Don was always kind, always happy to see us and share stories and hear ours.

At his memorial service, the minister shared with us that Uncle Don had shared with him a psalm that was special to Uncle Don - psalm 127. He shared it after the minister said 'I bet a young fellow like me could learn a lot from you'. I wish I had asked him more, although I did call on his expertise as a local and cook frequently when we lived there.

Can't think about Uncle Don without smiling. I'm so grateful to have known him and loved him, and to have had him love on me.

(pictured, last time I saw Uncle Don, May 2010; with Kayla, Marsha, Kendra and Aunt Evie)