Yesterday, my mom called and informed me that my dad’s oldest living brother died from cancer. He was fading for the last month; he stopped eating last week. My parents were in Kentucky for my dad’s sister’s husband’s funeral last week; he too died because of cancer. On their way home, my dad was able to spend some time with Uncle Buddy so he was able to say good-bye but according to my sister he is taking it hard. Uncle Buddy is the first to die of my dad’s siblings. The first born (Matthew) died after only a week back in the 1930’s, so there were 12 brothers and sisters; my dad is the 6th of the lot.
NOTE: My dad and his siblings are the photo to the left; Uncle Buddy is in blue in the middle row.
I know very little of my uncle; I never had a conversation with him even though he was present at the family events throughout my life. He was always standoffish to most of the extended family. He was only close to a few of his siblings. I do understand why he was the way he was. As I child, I would sit for hours listening to my uncles and aunts talking about how my grandfather was after Word War 2. Granddad was 36 years old when he was drafted (married with 6 children) and he was an Army medical in the Pacific. While serving, we had his nose broken by a Japanese soldier and during the hand-to-hand combat, he killed this soldier. He never got over it. Upon returning home from the war, he became a drunk. Granddaddy was a mean drunk. Uncle Buddy became the family protector when he was drinking. Evenly granddad became a Christian and stopped drinking all together. He finally found the peace he was seeking in the bottle in the person Christ Jesus.
The stories I heard was almost like something from a movie. Uncle Buddy became a daredevil in his 20‘s. I wonder it was because of him fighting granddad over his teen years. Uncle Buddy retired from being a captain in the local fire department. He raised horses; one almost killed him by kicking him in his back. He has to have surgery and got Hepatitis C through bad blood; it was the 1980’s (before they would screen the blood). The Hepatitis C destroyed his liver and he got a new one. While waiting for a new liver, he accepted Christ as his Savior and like my granddad was never the same. He was always standoffish but he used his days serving his Savior doing mission trips ever year.
I because of the witness of those who know him, I will see him again. Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 4 gives me this assurance that Uncle Buddy is with his parents; my grandparent in heaven.
