Things that
make you go Hmmmm…
Can you
believe it has already been a week since Red (Kerry’s dad) went on to a better
place? He and Chris (Kerry’s mom) have been living with us for 2 years now and
so not having Red around just doesn’t seem normal. There is something weird
about not hearing him moving about. I feel like there is something missing in
my day…something I am not doing! Then I realize, what is missing is Red and
what I am not doing is all of the taking-care-of-Red routines that were part
of my day; our day.
Now that we have finished our initial mourning,
it is time to reflect on who Red Campbell was. There was a side of him that
could make you split your sides open with laughter and there was another side
of him that was aggressive and to the point. He was not one to mix words and if
he had something to say, good or bad, the words would roll from his lips
without censorship or regret.
He once told
me that you know you have made it to the top in business when you go into a
bathroom stall and find your name written all over the place. He liked that.
And don’t get me started on politics…there are
certain things best left alone.
Remembering
the man, (Red, John, Poppi, Dad) certain things pop to mind; things that are
who he was.
1) His love for food – he had an amazing
appetite right up to the end. Dinner time was always interesting.
2) His love for his wife was
outstanding, even after 67 years of marriage. He had a covenant with God
promising that he would take care of her for all of her days. He took that oath
seriously. One of the reasons he hung on
for so long was his not willing to give up on his promise to God. We finally
convinced him that by passing the baton to us, we would continue his work and
care for his bride, as he did. He did finally let go.
3) He was fearless. You have to be either
brave or crazy to crawl into a small, tight cockpit and fly into a hornet’s
nest of aircraft, all trying to kill you. When the doctor first told him that his PSA
levels were climbing and there was not much else they could do for him, he just
looked the doctor in the eye and said, “Doc, don’t sugar coat it. How long do I
have?” After he (we) got the answer, he wanted to go to Thunder Canyon for a
fish and chips lunch washed down with a cold amber draft (his favorite).
4) When Red met with his oncologist and
was told that his potassium levels were high and that he couldn’t eat bananas
anymore, that was a big deal. Red loved his morning bananas. The same goes for
being told that he couldn’t drink beer or wine because of the medications he would be taking. He never did drink alcohol again.
5) The greatest gift of all, for me, was
in being able to be a part of Reds final chapter. He trusted me and I loved
him. We walked hand in hand through the valley of death, a place he knew all
too well. It is a walk that we will all take one day and thanks to my friend
John Acy Campbell III, when my time comes, I will be comforted in the fact that
this is not a dark and scary place. It is a place of transition from one
existence to another (a better one)…Praise God!
Here are a
couple of family’s stories to share with you…
Erica – At his 90th birthday
party Red said to Erica that if he knew he would have lived so long, he would
have taken better care of his body.
Justin - Here is a letter Justin wrote to his Poppi, the day he
passed. It was titled My Hero,
Dear
Poppi,
As I sit here at my desk at work I can't help but think about you. Life is full
of challenges and my life would not be the same if it wasn't for you. To simple
say thanks would not be enough. You see Poppi, you are my hero. The struggles
and sacrifices you have endured throughout your life have inspired me to
dedicate my life in service of a greater cause. One day I pray I will be as
much an inspiration to my grand children as you have been for me. I thank God
that my wife and children were able to meet and know you the way I know you.
What a great honor they have received in knowing a great man, who they can call
"Poppi".
When Jesus was asked in Mark 12:8 what the most important commandment was he
answered, " Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first
commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
There is none other commandment greater than these.
God gave us such an easy commandment to follow when it comes to you, Poppi.
I love you,
Nicholas - During my last Christmas trip to
Arizona, Poppi and I made Lefse. Poppi
helped give me some pointers on making it just right. It's hard to imagine that
it was my last lesson from him in cooking. Today I started making some Lefse and
Kristin helped me prepare to potatoes. I could feel that he was in my heart as
I worked in the kitchen.
The memories I have of Poppi (and
Nana) are one in the same. They had a blessed marriage. They were always together,
they did everything together. My time with Poppi was always special and I always
looked forward to the next time I would see him.
I remember as a child, eating homemade
Lefse while waiting for Poppi’s homemade pizza to come out of the oven.
I remember walking around the
golf course in Bonita, California and not being able to keep up because they
were such fast power walkers.
I remember when we went out to Point
Loma Seafood. We would order fish sandwiches and feed French fries to the sea gulls.
I remember everyone going down
stairs at Poppi’s house and watching slide shows of their trips to other
countries (including some 8mm movies on tiny reels).
I remember playing computer games
on his state of the art computer (lol) I think it was an IBM 64.
I remember the Bronco he used to
drive with sheep skin seats covers.
I remember his collection of
hats.
I remember the love and time he
spent with me when my mom was away and the times I spent the night over at his
house. It was a comfort zone for me (a safe place).
I could go on and on about the things
I remember about Poppi, but I won’t. I
will always cherish my Poppi. This is a very hard time for me because my Poppi
always had something special to share with me. He loved to share his wisdom
with others.
Yesterday I got a dvd my parents sent
in the mail; it was very touching. This was my Poppi’s last words of wisdom he
wanted to share with his Grandkids and Great Grandkids. His words were very uplifting
and I'm thankful that Poppi had the time to make the dvd possible.
Kerry – Kerry reflects on how sweet it was
to see her mom and dad going out for dinner and dancing every Saturday night. She
admired that. Growing up Kerry felt that if she asked him for the moon, he would
ask her, “Do you want one or two?” The reason Kerry moved back to San Diego in
1984 was to give her two boys a chance to grow up knowing their grandfather.
They did and today Justin and Nick are better men for it. They adored their
Poppi.
Richard – A week before his 90th
birthday Red wanted me to take him to the DMV to renew his driver’s license. As
he leaned in to the machine to take his visual exam I stood behind him waving
at the tech, mouthing the words No! No! No! – She looked up at me, smiled and
then said to Red…”Pass” and stamped his paperwork. He now had a new driver’s
license that won’t expire until November 2015. Are you kidding me? As we left the
DMV I asked him if he wanted to drive – just so I could evaluate his driving
skills. He said “Sure” That was the
scariest drive, EVER! It was also the last time Red drove anything other than his scooter-chair. He
just wanted to have his license in case he needed to get Chris to the hospital…I
suggested dialing 911 would be a lot easier for him and far let dangerous for the other
drivers on the streets of Tucson.
Up until Red
passed, he still complained about things he lost during the yard sale his kids
put together in order to lighten his possession-load before he moved to Tucson.
I guess it was easier to say something about an item being sold without his knowing
it versus looking around and trying to find it. On many occasions I would look
for something he couldn’t find, only to find it right where it was supposed to
be. The blame game…
Watching Red
and Chris interact was sometimes comical. They both were experiencing diminished
hearing and that lead to some very interesting interactions. Here is a sample of a conversation
between Kerry’s mom and dad one morning after breakfast;
Mom. Do you want the newspaper?
Dad. What? (groan)
Mom. Did you say yes?
Dad. I didn’t say anything! (moan)
Mom. So was that a yes or a no?
Dad. You need to go? (grunt)
Mom. So, is that a no?
Dad. Okay, if you say so. (cough)
Mom. I’m not sure I understood.
Dad. Chris…turn down that TV. I can’t hear a
thing
you are saying (snort)
The
TV is eventually muted...
Dad. That’s better. Now I can hear what you are trying to say.
Mom. Do you want the newspaper?
Dad. What? (groan)
Seriously, you can’t make this stuff
up...
Here are
some You Tube video postings accumulated over the years that show Red and his
family enjoying life…
Last Eagle
Sq reunion – San Diego (2006)
Jared in
Tucson (Aug 2007)
Reds 86th
birthday (Nov 2007)
PRCA Lecture
– Red speaks to teens (May 2008)
RAF – DFC
(May 2008)
Where Eagles
Fly commercial (Jan 2009)
Erica and
Jodi visit Tucson (Oct 2009)
Erica and
Jodi visit Tucson (Nov 2010)
Red 90th
birthday (Nov 2011)
To see a
website of family pictures and video clips created by a couple of Red’s Grandkids (Nicholas and Erica), open Facebook and do a search
for Red Eagle 121…enjoy the memories…
Coming Soon...
Thanks for being an important part of my BLOG.
Without you my words would have no meaning. Be Blessed.
This is RSHunter signing off...for now...
until there is another story that needs to be told.
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