How I remember my Uncle Tilly

If you based it strictly on proximity, my family must really like each other. My grandpa and his brother have lived one house apart for my entire life. I grew up within walking distance of most of my cousins, five minutes away from more cousins and just 10 minutes away from my grandparents. We're a close group based on location alone.

My great uncle Tilly passed away Saturday and today we all gathered to celebrate his life. Since he and his wife, Ruth, always lived just down the street from Nana and Mick, we would always ended up at their house for a little while on holidays.

In the summer months, it was rare to pass Ruth and Tilly's house without seeing him sitting in the garage in his lawn chair and waving to the cars as they passed. Tilly's eyes weren't the best, but he waved to everyone. We would often stop to run up the driveway and hug his neck, and I can't remember a time that he wasn't thrilled to see us. This is one of my favorite memories of my great uncle, but so many wonderful stories of his life were shared today.

People talked about his years at LSU, where he played football and met Mrs. Ruth. After more than 60 years of marriage, he still described her as the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He was a smart businessman, a fisherman, a Purple Heart recipient, a devoted husband, father, granddad and great granddad, and most importantly a man of strong faith.

I think my cousin Patrick said it best, "I'm just happy to have known him and shared his name."