My mother just called a few minutes ago. She told me my uncle (dad's younger brother) just passed away.
He was about 77. Last week he was riding a 4 wheeler on his property looking at the fences and so on. It tipped over and he broke his neck. He was paralyzed.
I know he would not want to live like that. It is still hard. He was the last. I still have mom and 2 aunts that married into the family but my grandparents and the rest of my dad's immediate family are all gone.
Dad and my uncle were a lot alike. Some would say too much alike. So much so they had a hard time staying on speaking terms. They always patched things up. My uncle was a lot like a dad to me. I have been thinking of all the time we spent together. Once you knew how to deal with him he was a lot of fun. (He acted gruff to get you all worked up.) He liked it when we grew up enough and figured him out. He had the best laugh.
I so much wanted to get to the hospital to see him one more time but it was my aunt's wishes that we wait.
One quick story that I have been thinking about for a week. When I was 6-7 he drove up to our house in his semi. He had a load he was taking somewhere and he asked if my older brother wanted to ride alone. My brother wasn't home so my older sister and I got to go. I was having a blast. When we were done he stopped at a truck stop and told me I could have a piece of apple pie and a coke. Dad didn't stop for snacks like that. I ordered a cherry pie and root beer. He told me (Laughing) I had to pay for my own snack since I didn't order what he told me to. I said it was pie and a pop so it would be the same price ad I didn't like Coke and that I liked cherry pie more than apple. (Laughing more) he said he would think about it.
I think I want apple pie and a coke for dinner tonight.