I've Lost a Good "Buddy"

(Uncle Buddy, me, Sawyer)

I am sad to say that I have lost a good "Buddy" this week. Early Sunday morning my Dad called our house and told me that my Uncle Buddy had had a major stroke during the night and would not be recovering from it. I got the call around lunch that I was deep down never really expecting to get...ever...that my Uncle Buddy had passed away.

I could write on and on...and on, about him and the time we spent together. See, the term "Uncle" Buddy isn't exactly correct. He would technically be my second cousin on my Daddy's side, but you can't call a second cousin who is old enough to be your Grandfather..."cousin Buddy". Nope, for as long as I can remember he has been my "Uncle" Buddy!

I never knew my Daddy's father, Dan Capps, Sr. He passed 4 years before I was born. My Mother's Daddy, Paw Paw, has been my only true living Grandfather my entire life, but that doesn't mean it hasn't felt like I didn't have two Grandaddys growing up. I always felt like I had two...Paw Paw up here and Uncle Buddy in Abbeville.

He was something else. Growing up I would always spend a week or two on their farm outside Abbeville. Those days would be spent doing EVERYTHING that my mother would not want me to be doing. That was kinda the point of going..she knew it to, but I am sure glad she let me go! I'm sure as a young boy growing up that I could get to be quite aggravating at times. "What are we going to do...when are we going to be there, etc..." When we reached that point of the day he would get in his recliner and turn on golf and tell me to "rest" for a few hours. THAT meant that I was pretty much free for at least an hour or two to wreak havoc on any living creature or mechanized apparatus on the farm that I could find! Aunt Linda would come home from the auto parts store they owned in Abbeville where you could count on a wonderful supper of whatever was picked from the garden that morning. Then it would be watching the TV while shelling peas until bedtime. I used to DREAD the wash pan and hamper of peas that would be shelled before bed, but now I LOVE to sit down after Sawyer has gone to bed and shell peas or snap beans from my own garden. Thanks Uncle Buddy!
When we arrived at the funeral home in Abbeville Tuesday afternoon I knew it was going to be tough to walk in and see his body and the family. (Uncle Buddy and Aunt Linda have two sons, Kip and Jeff, who I KNOW I used to annoy the stew out of. They were sports about it though, especially Kip who I spent the most time with.) It was fitting to see cornstalks at each end of the casket and the casket itself adorned not with flowers, but with an arrangement of peas, no doubt pulled from Uncle Buddy's ever present "pea patch". The visitation went well with around 600+ folks showing up to pay their respects. I would not have expected anything less as Uncle Buddy knew EVERYBODY.

We traveled back on Wednesday for his funeral. Pallbearers had to be at the church early so I was able to "see" Uncle Buddy one last time. As I stood at his casket with many memories flooding my noggin one thought kept coming back...Uncle Buddy was a Christian man. I told him not to worry because of the assurance of the blood of Christ on Calvary's Cross we would get to spend eternity in Heaven catching up. As the funeral procession left the church and headed towards the cemetery just outside of town I had a thought...we were going to have to drive right past the auto parts store that they owned the last 30+ years ( Jeff owns it now). I teared up as we passed and a wave of memories of summers spent at that store flooded my mind. I bet I wasn't the only one...

In closing I want to say that I am SO thankful that the Lord allowed Laura, Sawyer, and I to visit with Uncle Buddy and Aunt Linda for a couple of hours just a week before he passed. HE knew that the time was drawing near for Uncle Buddy to head home. I will never forget that visit or the photo at the top of this posting.

As I told Aunt Linda, Kip, and Jeff...every young boy needs their own "Uncle Buddy". I'm sure gonna miss mine!