Our family loved this man so much. We called him “Uncle Tom”, but he was like a second Daddy! Our Dad’s farmed together and were really good friends. Two of the hardest working men you would ever find! And they knew how to work you really hard also! And we learned a lot from them!
Uncle Tom was always busy, always working, a hard fast worker! He and Aunt Dot are just two of the best people you could know. He was a big man, tall and broad and one would be scared of him if needed. He was rather quite from my eyes. He thought that I smiled to much at times when I was younger, he told me it was a good thing and to keep on smiling, but he just did not understand how I could just smile all the time….too funny! Well, I was young and had no worries, life was simple and good!!!
Uncle Tom could get tickled every now and then and that was just hilarious cause he could laugh really loud! He absolutely loved horses and always had some around! He raised hogs, cows and many crops! I mostly remember tobacco!!! Oh the hours that we spent every summer working with him, Larry and Daddy. We did not have to search for a summer job…..we had three, tobacco, tobacco and tobacco! It was hard work. We were driving tractors in fields when the muscles in our legs were so little that they could hardly hold the pedal down. We would also get sleepy and might have run over a few stalks, which was not good!!! The older we got the more we learned and the more jobs we had!
This is the funniest story:
When Cole was a little boy, he and his Papa went over to visit with Uncle Tom. Cole had a piece of gum and needed to get rid of it. Uncle Tom told him that when he was little, they would take it and put it behind their ear and save it for later. Well, the adults went on talking and visiting and somewhere during this time, one little boy put his gum behind his ear….but he had hair!!! Well, I know that one old man got in big trouble for telling that little boy that story, from his wife, and some gum had to be cut our from behind a little boys ear!!!
After his stroke in 2002, he was not able to work and he would worry about Daddy and Larry….Larry was younger so I think he worried about Daddy more. But, I would go visit and he would ask about Daddy, and then tell me how much he appreciated Winston helping Jimmy, that’s a fine husband you got there, sugar. Tell him thank-you from me and that I am just sorry that I can not be out there helping Jimmy myself. I do not know why this happened to me, but it is what it is and I reckon I will just have to deal with it!
His brother in law passed in 2003, Buster Bell. He just did not understand why it could not be him instead of others. Then his dear friend, Jimmy Williams passed in 2006. When we went to see him, he said the same thing, “its just not right”. Jimmy was to young to die, he still had a lot of years left. But God did not see it that way.
I have visited off and on over the years. One of the last visits, I took my youngest daughter and her baby. When I walked over, I gave him a kiss and told him this was Cayla, my youngest and her baby, Cayden. He said, “that sure is a pretty baby, a fine one.” I told Cayla that he was like my second Daddy. His eyes welled up with tears of joy and pride and he said, “thank-you honey, I really appreciate that, I really do” I walked over and gave him a hug and tried not to cry because we were going to his grandsons wedding. Thank-you God for helping me find the right words to give to such a special man!
Now, finally after many, many, years of suffering he has his new body. He is not hurting any more. He is walking and talking and laughing and happy! I am so happy for him, but oh how he will be missed! So many precious memories, so many family members left with a vacant spot. A wife of 64 years, they have shared everything together! May God bless us and comfort all of us, this is not going to be easy.
I love you Uncle Tom!
While you are there, please hug my Daddy for me and tell him we miss him!
