I wondered who had lost their mind to try and call me at 7am on a Saturday morning. It was the 7th. I was still trying to get out of bed.
I picked up my cell and had 6 missed calls and the red flags went up. The first text I saw was from my sister “Call dad *ASAP*”. Alarms were going off in my head. Then a text from my dad: We’ll be heading your way in the morning. Please call me.
They live 5 hours away. Why were they coming here? What was wrong?
With shaky hands I called my dad, still in bed, but now wide awake. I started hoping my husband would come in the room so he could be there with me, but I didn’t have the voice to call him.
My father was telling me that my uncle, his brother, had been in a motorcycle accident the night before.
He was dead.
God, no! Of my father’s 11 brothers and sisters, his was the only number I had in my cell. Because I didn’t need any of the others. He checked up on my family constantly. He visited all the time. He brought us tomatoes from his vines and in the summer we had a cookout and swam in his pool.
This was not happening.
But the chain of events were taking place and as much as I didn’t want them to occur, they already had.
My husband was in shock. The kids haven’t quite grasped it yet.
A couple of cool things to note about my uncle:
- He was a veteran of the first Gulf War. With that, he’s receiving a full military sendoff tomorrow at the Tennessee Veteran’s Cemetary. His funeral is also today, Veteran’s Day.
- My uncle was an avid motorcyclist and member of The Defenders, a local motorcycle club comprised of former military and police enthusiasts. After his burial tomorrow, The Defenders will ride to his accident site, be joined by several other motorcycle clubs from surrounding states, and they will finish his ride. That’s the most awesome thing I’ve ever heard.
(As an aside, his club members have been holding a vigil at his house since his death. They’ve chopped enough firewood that his widow, my aunt, won’t have to worry about it for the full winter. They’ve cleaned her carpets, brought food, and made sure she’s wanted for absolutely nothing. It’s truly been awesome to see, in every sense of the word.)
- He was also an avid hunter, and had land across the street from my house. He’d come over in the early mornings after he got off work and sit in a tree stand, watching for deer. We never saw any. The day after we learned of his death, my husband saw a buck and two doe. It was his way of letting us know he’s alright.
Your prayers and thoughts are so appreciated. He was a great friend, uncle, and veteran and his loss has had a great impact on my family. We miss him so much.
Rest in peace, Uncle Raymond. We love you.
