Uncle Jack

Uncle Jack passed away just over a week ago. Uncle Jack was one of my most favorite people. The last few times I saw him, I'd give him a hug, ask him how he's doing, and he would always reply: "I'm still here!" He seemed to feel really fortunate that he had a long life and got to see many changes in the world. He often remarked how amazed he was with the developments in technology and the way people's lives had changed. He was an inventor. He invented the modern vulcanized rubber truck brake diaphram, and he was always tinkering. He built an air conditioner for the old Westfalia bus out of a garbage can, some water, and a tube. He was a really fun and good-spirited person. I always loved visiting him and Aunt Evie in San Clemente. When I was a teenager going through a purple nail polish phase, he asked me to paint one of his nails so it looked like he hit his finger with a hammer. Then we used a UV light to speed up the drying process. We had a lot of fun.

After Aunt Evie passed away in 2005, Uncle Jack moved to Davis to live with his son, who I call Cousin Bob (he's my mom's cousin, and Uncle Jack is my mom's uncle). Uncle Jack took all the changes in stride. He used to ride his bike to the Co-op or Nugget Market every day or so to do the grocery shopping. When his balance got worse, he switched to a tricycle (one of the few I've seen in Davis), and when he began to lose his strength, Cousin Bob bought a motor and adapted it to the trike, so he could still motor his way around Davis. He has always had bad hearing, as long as I have been around, and it got worse, but he was still a great conversationalist. If he couldn't hear you, he'd just start talking, knowing that someone would listen. He was really smart, really interesting, and had a lot of life experience, so he always had something interesting to say. Cousin Bob took excellent care of Uncle Jack. They've had a pretty good time living together these last few years.

I always knew that one day he would go, but I just didn't think it would be right now. He passed away just a few days before his 98th birthday. On Tuesday, he broke his hip, and on Friday, he was gone. It was speedy, but it's the way any 98 year old would want to go. Fast, and with dignity. It's really hard to believe that he's gone. I feel like a whole part of my life is gone. My childhood days in San Clemente with him and Aunt Evie are so far away now. I really hate growing up, getting older, and losing people. Losing Uncle Jack has hit me pretty hard. I'm really going to miss him.