My Uncle Jim

My Uncle Jim passed away on June 21, 2009. He was a few weeks shy of his 88th birthday. It was Father's Day.

The picture above was taken in 1926. It is of my mother Mary and my Uncle Jim. She was 4 and he was 5. Tomorrow is the memorial service for Uncle Jim. My mom can't go. The traveling would just be too hard.

Kathy, my cousin and Jim's daughter, asked us to write something for the memorial, to maybe be read since we won't be there. Here is what I wrote.

There are so many Jim’s in my family and now we have lost a great one.

My Uncle Jim was a brilliant man. When I look at all of his accomplishments, it makes it very clear to me why I always thought I never had anything good enough to say to him.

I have to make it very clear that this was something I thought, but it wasn’t true.

Uncle Jim and Aunt Bette stopped to see us in California quite often on their way to or from Hawaii. Aunt Bette is a barrel full of fun. She can talk to anyone about anything. Uncle Jim always seemed more reserved to me.

Once, maybe 20 years ago when Jim and Bette were visiting, I brought my daughter Elizabeth over so they could meet her. Elizabeth, who was 3 or 4, had a passion for a book called "Are you my Mother" by Dr. Seuss. Elizabeth took her book to Uncle Jim and asked him to read it to her. I thought, Oh NO, NO, NO he won’t want to do that! I was wrong. He took the book, sat Elizabeth on his lap and read the whole story to her. He endured her many questions and funny little comments about the bird looking for its mother.

Right then my opinion was forever changed about Uncle Jim. He wasn’t unapproachable, he just needed to be approached.

I am sad to know he’s gone, but I am very proud to say he was a part of my family.

Photo by Rick Zaidan