In remembrance

I haven’t written in a while and I was going to be all over it today, as I had the day off. And then I got a phone call from home telling me that my favorite uncle passed away. So now I’m scrambling to clear my schedule and get to Pittsburgh tomorrow. It’s all worked out, though, and I’ll be there to say goodbye to Big Tim.

He was a great man. Life wasn’t always kind to him, and he didn’t always make the best choices back in the day, but he continued to grow, to improve and to correct his mistakes. I only knew him later in his life, after he got over the rocky years, and he was a great uncle to me.

When I was skydiving, he was thrilled, and would tell me about when he tested HALO rigs for the Army. He had a lot of broken bones back then, but it never stopped his love of skydiving.

When I went to Iraq and had some attitude problems come toward me from the troops and co-workers, he told me how to handle them. Usually with a straight forward “f-off” and then continuing with whatever task I was doing, now that I think about it. But having someone say that was a huge support.

When he’d visit Texas with my aunt, he’d dance with the dog teaching her to do a little shuffle step she’d only do with him. And he’d steal cigarette breaks out on the back porch, pretending to hide them from his wife, who pretended to not see what he was doing. His kids would do the same song and dance with my aunt, with everyone having fun pretending to not do or see what was going on.

Big Tim retired from teaching this winter, and left us suddenly, peacefully, last night. There was no sign anything was wrong, no indicator he was ill. The big man upstairs just decided he needed someone to argue politics with, though, and called him home to Heaven a bit earlier than we’d all have liked.

You will be missed Uncle Tim.

Love,
Keira