Uncle Jack

I got a phone call from my brother night before last and he told me that my Uncle Jack is in the hospital. He is not doing well. He is on dialysis and is not the picture of health. So I called him and we talked just a brief while. He had surgery yesterday to move the port for the dialysis. He was on some pain, but when I talked to Monkey, (his wife), she said he was doing somewhat better. So that is good to hear. Will be keeping in touch and checking in to see how he is coming along.
Now this is my fathers brother. From this point on my father shall be referred to as DADDY and my step dad will be called DAD. My daddy only had the one brother. I am not sure what the age difference is but I am sure it wasn't much.
Their mother, my Grandma Hicks, also known as false teeth grandma, was married to Orie, the father of these two boys. My grandpa was a wonderful man, although I only have faint memories of him. I do remember their backyard and how we used to spend lots of time with them. Grandma would make us picnic lunches and we would sit under the cherry trees in the backyard and eat it. She would tell us stories and teach us life's little lessons. She showed us how to make objects from the clouds and how to look through a rolled up piece of paper and the tree branches to see sun spots. These sessions would end with a nap on a blanket spread on the grass.
Grandpa would be in his shed or working in the yard or just sitting out back with us. But our favorite place to be with him was on the front porch. They had those old metal rocking porch chairs and we would sit out there with him. He would talk to us but I cant remember specifics like I can with Grandma. But I do remember liking to sit with him and how he liked us to do tricks in the yard. Like cartwheels, or somersaults, or trying to stand on our heads. Of course we were quite young then and were not too good at doing either of those, so they would always get a laugh from him.
He passed when we were both young. I don't remember how young but when we went to the hospital to see him, we had to be lifted up onto the bed to see him. I am grateful to have the few memories I had of him.
Uncle Jack was always around when we were growing up in Amarillo, which is where I was born, as well. He played with us and took us to San Jacinto Park which was only a block down the road from Grandmas house. He taught me how to play Karem. The park had a game rental area where they would let you take games and play with your friends or family. They didn't charge anything, but you had to sign them out. Karem is a game that you play with sticks and little discs and you shoot them around on the board. I have not seen that game since those days at the park . I loved to play it and I can remember Jack playing it with me. He was always pretty soft spoken. He was always smiling and seemed happy all the time.
He was married to a lady named Sue, who had a German Sheppard. That didn't last long. I don't have ANY memories of her at all, just pictures that proved she was in there. Then he married a girl named Melinda. They had two children, Jamie and Becky. Their marriage didn't last long and Melinda left the kids with Jack and took off for another life. For years afterwards he was single and concentrated on raising those kids. Then he found his love and married her. Her name is Monkey and they made a nice little family. She had children from her prior marriage as well. So they made their own little Brady Bunch and have lived happily ever after. She is still standing by his side and taking good care of him, and the kids, and anyone else who needs a loving arm around them. I never got to spend much time with them as we were living in a different town after my mom and daddy got a divorce. But I do remember her being so kind and sweet when we were around. I am so glad that Jack has her, and has had so many wonderful years with her. I am sure they have made many happy memories together.