Tribute

On the 29th of January 2014 my Uncle Richard passed away (age 77) after a very short illness.  It was sudden and unexpected - he was tired and thought he had the flu - a week later he was gone.  He passed on his 59th wedding anniversary.  My heart breaks for my aunt and my cousins, this is so hard - I lost my father 5 years ago and still sometimes it catches me unaware and I'm in tears! 

That big grin is how I remember him!

Uncle Richards legacy though is hard to explain because he was just larger than life and still down to earth.  He was a big kid - on his farm at any given time he could have a zip line, an oil pump turned into a teeter totter, barrels hung from the tree with a saddle on them or a tarp down the side of a hill with a hose running for a cheap water park!  He loved creating a fun place, he would tell stories and you were never sure if it was a tall tale or the truth - and he would tell both just to keep you guessing. 

Zip Line!

When I was growing up and they would come and visit we would go camping in the mountains of Wyoming and he and my dad would go fishing and not be seen for hours, I think they always caught fish!  He and Aunt Evelyn went to Canada, hunting, to a cabin they had to have a plane fly them into and land on the lake.  He was a bow hunter, bear hunter, deer hunter, turkey hunter, trap line runner...you get the picture.  Aunt Evelyn had traced his family tree to Daniel Boone and he certainly lived up to his ancestry. 

Bronc Riding!

He loved the history of the place he lived and Missouri in general, a patriotic American who believed that we should all take care of our land, and be self sufficient as possible, help our neighbors and that the government should stay out of our way and keep others out of our way, and if you needed help from them you would ask!  :)   He was involved civilly in the Rural Telephone Company and  was on the international committee for the national rural telephone companies.  He traveled all over the country and to Washington DC to meet with national leaders.

Teeter Totters!

He married Aunt Evelyn January 29th 1955, they were together through thick and thin, a real example of working hard and making it work, they supported each other and made a life together and for their 3 daughters and all the subsequent grandkids and great grandkids.  Not many people die on their anniversary and I'm sure he would have told Evelyn it was to get out of buying a gift!  :)

Everyone we meet and know can teach us something, my Uncle Richard will always be remembered by myself and my kids as a man who taught a lot about how to enjoy life - even when it was hard.  He - like my parents - never had much money, and us kids never knew we were poor till we were older and out on our own!  Rest in Peace Uncle Richard, you will be missed and I hope we can all keep your memory alive by remembering that life should be fun!

Love you!