Uncle John

On November 7^th, my uncle John went to be with the Lord. He had gotten up early to ride around a lake in their area. Soon after that, a runner found him in the lake. Most likely he had an arrhythmia that caused him to die instantly and roll on his bike into the water. According to the autopsy, he did not have a heart attack nor aneurysm, nor did he drown. This was obviously a shock and a terrible loss for our family. He leaves behind his wife, Patricia, and two sons, David and Ben (wife Sarah) and grandson, Eli.

John was one of a kind. He could lighten the mood in any room. He was full of joy and laughter. He was always positive and encouraging. He was fun. He was always ready to play any and every game and would always try with all his might to beat his opponent, even if it was a little kid. He was athletic and full of energy. He loved NC State and often wore red with pride. He was highly intelligent and always curious and interested to learn new things. I feel like he never stopped seeing the world through a child’s eyes. He found the wonder in even the smallest of things, like monitoring the weekly growth of his tomatoes or keeping track of how much rain they had gotten with his rain gauge. These things and many others would inevitably end up on his blog so that everyone could join in excitement. His favorite invention had to be the digital camera. He could take as many pictures as he wanted without paying for developing. His camera was always in hand and he was always ready to take a picture of you doing whatever activity he felt was picture worthy. And these, of course, would also end up on his blog. He loved music and would often just start singing a song.

One day he was out taking a picture of his newly painted mailbox for his blog and realized he was capturing his shadow in the pictures. So forget the mailbox, he started taking pictures of his shadow. Like I said, he saw the joy and fun in the small things. :)

John loved his family deeply. He and Patricia were inseparable. They were best friends who did everything together. As Patricia says, they were best buddies. They truly had something special. He loved Patricia well and served her in every way.

He loved his boys as well. He passed on to them his intelligence and desire for knowledge. Both ended up at Duke University. He was proud of his boys and never failed to support them. Whether David was working for Flyswat, Yahoo, or Kiva, you could find John wearing a hat or shirt supporting his son’s work.

The family grew a little over a year ago when Ben and Sarah had Eli and so did John’s love. He was so proud of his sweet grandson and would be sure to tell you a story or show you a picture.

I love his face in this picture.

He loved his great nephews as well.

John with Zachary, my sister's son.

More than a love for his family, John had a love for the Lord. He was a true servant, always willing to help anyone with whatever task they had. He always served without grumbling or complaining. He loved everyone and always made people feel accepted. John understood that this life was only a foreshadow of what was to come. He was willing to tell anyone about the Lord and ask if they knew Him personally. He was a man of prayer. Even his prayers at dinner became a moment for him to pray for the lost and that we would be servants of the Lord who would faithfully share His love with others. There are many verses that can describe John because he was a man who lived for the Lord. He lived out Christ’s example, humbling himself and becoming a servant. Another passage that I believe John lived out well is Romans 12:9-18

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

John lived out these verses. He was a peacemaker and a servant.

John was like a second father to me. Patricia and he were very much involved in our lives growing up and even now as adults. They came on our family vacations. We talked to them regularly. I always knew that they loved me, cared for me, prayed for me and supported me. When I was home for his funeral, I had to look for something in his wallet. There were pictures of course, of his sons, his wife Patricia, his daughter-in-law, his grandson, as well as of his nieces. I feel privileged to have made his wallet. I love John very much. John taught me several things. One, to enjoy life, even the simple things. One should never lose sight of the wonder of things. Two, how to be a servant. John constantly gave to others and served with his whole heart. It was impressed on me at a young age that John and Patricia were servants. Though they had all they needed, they weren’t wealthy, yet they gave generously to others. They were always helping this or that family, giving their time to some group or volunteer organization. Their love for the Lord poured out onto others. That flows into the third thing his life taught me- to love unconditionally. John never met a stranger nor ever felt that he was above another. He was willing to associate with people of low position. Or any position. He didn’t see color or status or political affiliation or anything but the person and he loved them.

John will be dearly, dearly missed. As I have said before, if you had to be stuck in a room with one of our family members, you’d want it to be John. He was a joy to be around. He made any situation better. Life just won’t be the same without his camera catching every activity, even if it was you sneezing or asleep on the couch, and without his smile and laugh that could warm any heart. We love you, John, and though we know you are rejoicing with your Father in heaven, we on earth are left with a void that can’t be replaced. There is no one like you, John. You are one of a kind, an amazing husband, wonderful father, terrific uncle, a beautiful child of God who knew His Father well and shared His love with others.