My mom was a single parent raising my sister and me. There were lots of things that needed fixing. And our struggling little family needed some help and distraction from our problems. My dad had left us, and we were sort of on our own.
Jack loved us. Served us, and treated us like family.
I was only nine years old at the time, but the memories and the lessons and the love Jack gave us are still with me today, and make me a better man for having had him in my life.
Something would break like a faucet or some other random thing around the house. Mom would have me call Jack. I’d ask him if he could fix it. He’d reply with a confident, positive, joyous voice. “You can fix anything!”
He’d then take time out of his life to travel from Basalt to where we lived and make the problem go away.
I didn’t ever really like scouting that much, maybe because all the other kids had dads around, and I didn’t. Pine Wood Derby was coming up, and I had no clue how to make a car. No problem for Jack. He brought me to his shop, and helped me to make two of the most beautiful cars the scouting community had ever seen. We didn’t win any races, but boy, those cars were beautiful. I still have them.
He inspired my sister Shana and I to start up our own little living room business called Paul and Shana’s House of Therapy and Massage. Of course, Jack was our only client. He was a fun customer with a smile and a spirit that just made you happy to be around. I’m an entrepreneur today, and can’t help but wonder, if Jack didn’t help plant that little seed.
I remember a sign that hung in his living room. “Patience is a virtue.” Jack would often quote that to me, and as a kid who wanted things fast, it was annoying, but it made me think. Jack wasn’t a church going man, as far as I can remember. But his example and the way he lived his life and the memories he’s left with me, represent the best of anything you’ll find in a church book.
He took us on rides in his semi-truck. We got to sleep in his sleeper.
We’d sometimes help him do yard work in the hot summer. And afterward go swimming in the canal, or eat plums from his trees. I remember his incredible work ethic. Oh, how he loved to work but could be happy every second of the job. A great example to me of how we’re supposed to do stuff in life and make things better.
He had nicknames for my sister and me and thinking of the funny and excited way he’d say them, makes me laugh.
I saw my mom cry yesterday when she was thinking about Jack and the impact he had on our family and the sadness she felt at his passing. I know how she feels because I’ve shed tears myself writing this. I know my little sister has those same feelings.
But that’s only because Jack made such a difference for us, and probably nobody else in the world knew it.. At the end of the day, can any of us ask for anything more than this? That we live life like Jack. That we love, serve, give and smile. That we touch the lives of those who need our touch, whether anyone else in the world knows it or not.
Thank you, Jack. We love you.
Paul, Shana & Kathleen
