A Trip for Uncle John

Uncle John, November 2009

On the 4th of July I got the call that my Uncle John had passed away.  His funeral was the following week.  After rearranging my committments in Washington State, I drove down I-5 and arrived in Southern California within 2 days.

I was born in LA and grew up in Orange County.  My mother and her two sisters were native Californians.  Holidays and summer picnics were spent together with the 3 sisters, their husbands and us cousins.  The sisters had such fun together, they made us all laugh with their silliness.  Of the sisters and their husbands, only my Aunt Opal and her husband John had remained ... and now Uncle John has died too..

Uncle John is a jewel among my childhood memories.  He always expressed such delight upon seeing us.  He made me feel loved.  He laughed a lot and he made everyone else laugh at his fun-loving ways.  So, on Tuesday the families of the 3 sisters gathered again to say goodbye, find comfort in being together, and remember the joy and love he brought into our lives.

Uncle John was 88 years old, married for 65 years to his childhood sweetheart, had 2 children, 6 grandchildren, and 15 great grandchildren.  He served in the Marine Corps and was honored with a military funeral.  I will miss him dearly.

Before Uncle John's memorial service,
2 of my brothers (Gary & Ray) and I
paid our respects at the grave sites of
our grandparents, David and Elma Blair,
the parents of the 3 sisters.