Uncle Buzz

I got word that Uncle Buzz died.  He was my father's brother.  I remember being a little girl and rubbing my hand on his head as he had that Marine Corp buzz cut while the family gathered in front of the TV to watch Green Acres and Petticoat Junction (yes I'm dating myself) after everybody came in from shoveling pig shit and whatever else needed to be done around the farm.

My dad, Uncle Buzz, and my grandfather would have have their ducks lined up in a row (really - not just a saying) in the breezeway of the farmhouse.  One would de feather, one would cut and gut , one would get the pin feathers, etc.  Years later I would be one to remove the pin feathers.

The last time I saw Uncle Buzz in person was about 8 years ago when we were in Colorado for a youth sporting tournament.  We went to his house in Estes Park for a visit.  Uncle Buzz was a horse loving cowboy, and my daughter is also a natural with horses.  It seems to be a theme in my family.  My daughter had the time of her life.

Uncle Buzz loved Trump (whatever) but in his defense, he would always take the time to explore where the 'other side' was coming from even if he did not agree with it.  Uncle Buzz served in the U.S. Marine Corp and was also a prison guard.  He was one tough you-know-what.  He kind of reminded me of Clint Eastwood.  He took no BS from anybody. 
Uncle Buzz was the white Anglo-Saxon Protestant so typical of the farming mid-West.  However, he took the time to read the Quran as he wanted to try to understand it.  I have to give him credit for that.
 
I remember calling Uncle Buzz when I was in grade school as I was writing a paper and I needed his first-hand experiences on the subject of his tenure as a prison guard (I got an A).  I just remember him saying that some people are just bad seeds.  No rehab will save them and they will ALWAYS be bad seeds.  Others in the prison system made some bad choices, but were the victim of their circumstances.  They were not bad seeds, but just got sucked into a situation that spiraled out of control and they ended up in prison.  Uncle Buzz could 'read' souls and know the difference. There is no text book on that, people. 


Around Christmas time I called Uncle Buzz.  You know, where you actually pick up the phone and dial a number?  I wanted to wish him Merry Christmas.  He was not into social media, cell phones, texting, whatever.  I knew he was sick, but I also knew he did not like to talk about it (so Midwestern).  To keep the conversation light, I told him my memories of him as a kid and what made me laugh.

I had the sinking feeling then that I would never talk to him ever again.