God speed Uncle Russell!

 God speed Uncle Russell!

Unfortunately, my family continues its period of mourning as my dad's oldest of his three younger siblings passed away today. They bury their sister-in-law, my aunt Susan, tomorrow. My uncle, Thomas Russell Yerton, Sr., along with all of my dad's siblings and their spouses (Robert, Russell, Rebecca, and Richard who married Patrica and Virginia (whom were 1st cousins), Gary, and Susan), all played profound roles in my life as I was growing up. For the longest time our entire family (great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins) all attended church together. Almost every single Sunday after church we wound up at my Papa and Granny Yerton's home for an afternoon of lunch, games, or just chatting it up. Every holiday the same group, including over time the cousin's spouses and their in-laws, and the next generation of second cousins, would gather for large family meals and just being together. Russell was a huge presence at these gatherings. I admired the mutual admiration and respect that the four siblings shared. Russell, along with his brothers were BSA Eagle Scouts. The four siblings shared a devotion to their own parents that I always wanted to foster in my own family, but obviously failed at. When each brother/sister married, their spouse was fully embraced by the other three. It's difficult to speak of one, Russell, without mentioning the others. The eight of them were quite the devoted octet to God, to their parents, and to one another. It was growing up with these people that generated within me the deep desire to be a dad. Russell worked for Hale Hassel trucking for decades. A perk of his job was access to the company cabins at White Horn Cove on Grand Lake in Pryor. Most every summer the entire family, upwards of sixty of us, would spend a week or two together on vacation there. We'd frequently spend a long weekend the first weekend of December in Pryor as well. Russell enjoyed taking us out on the boats to fish, ski, and swim. He was a jolly and gentle giant. He had an infectious laugh. He fiercely loved his wife, his twin boys, and his grandkids. When one of his twins almost experienced an amputation, he remained strong. When another experienced third degree burns over most of his body, he remained even stronger. When they lost their home years later to a fire, he remained a stalwart father and husband keeping his family united until the house was rebuilt. His faith in Jesus was exemplary. He was a lifelong supporter of Boy Scouts. He had a large walk-in shed in his backyard that was dedicated to recycling scout uniforms. It was a community closet where you could exchange sizes or be outfitted in a complete uniform if you couldn't afford the expensive official uniform pieces. He never charged for this service, rather he ran it as an act of commitment and love for the cause. He was a giant of a man with the heart of a gold. He loved holding all of the new babies as they were born. He sang off key and had dad jokes before they were dad jokes. He had an infectious laugh and mile wide smile. God Speed Uncle Russell! See ya soon.