Just Jack

A week ago Thursday our lives were irreversibly changed. We got the call that Marty's beloved father was gone. The picture above was taken at our wedding. Marty asked his Dad to be his best man. He told me later he would never forget the look on his Dad's face when he asked him. He was so honored and excited that Marty would ask him to serve as best man. However, to Marty there was no one else that could fulfill that label like his Dad. His Dad was and always will be his "Best Man."

This picture is of Marty's family taken at our wedding. That was a fabulous day filled with celebration, laughter, and dancing. This was before Jack lost his leg and received his prosthesis. I remember dancing at my wedding with Marty's Dad. He twirled me around the dance floor like a pro. He was a great dancer.

Even though Jack was a single Dad he was super involved in Marty and Cindi's lives. They stayed with him often.

This picture was taken last Christmas. Marty's sister had just moved in her house

When Marty and were first married and lived in Memphis, Jack, Cindi, and Mike flew down to visit. In this picture we were on a ferry boat on the Mississippi river. We had a great time on that visit. We visited Graceland and took Jack on a tour of Memphis.

This picture was taken last Christmas. Jack adored his grandbabies. This past Christmas we made Jack a picture book with the kids' pictures and we recorded their voices. They each told what their favorite thing to to with Pappaw Jack. Reese loved that he came to his birthday parties, Emma loved to ride the tractor with him, Carli loved to be at the restaurant with him, and Carson loved to feed the cows with him. The kids also stood up at the funeral to tell these very same favorite memories of Pappaw Jack. We found out at the funeral that Jack had been showing the book off to his friends and customers at the restaurant. I am so thrilled that we were able to make that for him.

This is Jack holding Emma when she was just a few hours old. He never missed a birth!

This is our family farm. Isn't it gorgeous!? Jack is buried very near the spot on the right where the trees are making shadows. It was the spot he would drive up to to look down at the cows in the meadow. It will always be "his spot."

Some of our cows a couple of years ago.

We could not have been prepared for the outflowing of people coming to pay their respects to Jack this past weekend. Customers travelled from everywhere reporting that he made them feel special when they were in his restaurant. Neighbors, friends, people of the community came out to talk about this town icon. He was the man described as "always friendly", "encouraging", "passionate", "caring". He was my first boss. I worked in his restaurant when I was 15 years old. Marty and I were dating. He could get angry or cross at the other waitresses but never at me. He respected Marty too much to ever be cross with me. If I was having trouble he would call Marty up and make him come over to help me. I will never forget how he protected me in those situations.

His good friend, Reverend Tallman would say, no matter the situation, Jack would always say, "It'll be all right." At the funeral that's how we ended the service. We knew at that point that Jack had made it right with Jesus and had gone home to the Lord. Instead of saying "Amen" we said in the words of Jack, "It'll be all right."

I would like to share with you the poem I read at Jack's funeral. It is so fitting for the man he was. He was a simple man who loved his family. He didn't have worldly possessions in his home but tons of pictures and memorabilia he has saved about his family. Those were his most cherished possessions. Nothing else mattered to him but his family and the farm.

This poem was purchased by us and is copyrighted by JilChristy Dee. Please do not copy without permission.

A Man Who Loved His Family

by JilChristy Dee

Our Dad was one of those special men

Who truly knew what life was about

Who demonstrated that his family came first

For his actions left no room for doubt

Our Father's greatest joy was his children

In fact, there was no faster way

To light up his face with an ear-to-ear smile

Than the mention of his own children's names

He preferred to discuss the accomplishments

Of his kids, rather than his own

And loved to recall the sweet memories

Of their youth and how they had grown.

A Father who loved to be near us

The rock of strength we came to rely on

Through the challenges and trials life gave us

Which doesn't mean that Dad didn't appreciate

The finer things that life can bring

Only that he considered his family's happiness

The best fulfillment of his life's efforts and dreams

And we understood how blessed we were

To have this type of Dad

A Father who cared for us above all else

Willing to give us all he had

There are many things that could be said about Dad

For he was a man of goodness, honor and trust

But anyone who knew Dad would also remark

On the deep and committed love he felt for us

So as we say goodbye and remember

Our Father's life . . . the man he came to be

He'd be happiest being remembered by all who knew him

As a man who loved his family.

The one thing that Jack has taught me is to be yourself. He was just Jack. He didn't put on airs. He didn't try to impress. I think God called him to be a friend and a father and boy was he great at both! We love you Dad and in the words of Emma," we hope you are running with both legs in heaven eating all the candy you want!"