MY Unca Doom...

When I was a child I was terrified of my Uncle Denny. He was always demanding, grouchy, and just plain mean...He would keep the family dog, Benny, tied up out side all day long. He would yell at the slightest thing. He even threatened to kill my pet dog Laddie when she bit Jen's ear....(Laddie had been injured and we were told not to touch her by my mom, but Jenny and I walked her over to the vacant lot any way)...I'm sorry by the way Jen! She was such a sweet dog, I had no idea she could hurt anyone! What a scary and traumatic incident that was to see my cousin bleeding profusely from the side of her head. Then to have my scary uncle yelling and threatening that he was going home to get his gun and shoot my beloved pet was too much for a young child to process...

 

It wasn't until I was 9 years old that I thought my uncle might have a soul...My mom, dad, older brother, older sister, Nana, and Papa were all up in the mountains at Boreal Ski lifts skiing for the day and the younger siblings were being babysat by Erin Burt. I was outside playing when my neighbor friend Aaron Allison came over on his bike. He asked if I wanted to go ride with him. I looked for Bobby's bike that he had hidden before he left. (I still swear to this day that he told me that if I found his bike I could ride it...He says that he said if I found his bike NOT to ride it) Around 2:30 or 3pm We rode up Bille Rd. to the Turner's house and played with their bunnies. When we left Robbie Shaw's dog Max had followed us, so on the way back I was worried that Max would get killed by a car. I remember Aaron crossing Bille first, and Max after him. I watched to make sure he crossed safely. Once he was across I followed on my bike. I didn't even see the Fluffy Foot Carpet van come up over the hill toward me. The next thing I knew I was in Chico at Enloe hospital hooked up to tubes and hearing my mom and the doctor talking about how I would likely be needing much care, and that I would be hospitalized for about 2 months. After the dr. left the room my mom explained to me what had happened. After I was hit, Jenny Walton saw me laying on the street with a pool of blood around my head, and ran told Erin that I was dead. Everyone thought that I was already dead. The ambulance rushed me to Feather River where the ER dr. said that they didn't think that they were going to be able to keep me alive that my best chance to live was to get to Enloe's Trauma unit. My uncles Denny and Ric met me at Feather River and gave me a Priesthood blessing. I have always been a very strong believer in the power of prayer. They put me back in the ambulance (Denny rode with me, so I was told) and sent me to Chico. I believe Denny stayed at the hospital with me until my mom returned from the mountains and relieved him. That first night I slept a lot only waking for a few groggy minutes at a time. I remember a young teenage girl in the same room as me that was paralyzed from the neck down. They put me with her so that my mom could get used to the inevitable...I was going to be a vegetable...paralyzed from the neck down because of the damage done to my neck. It was Thursday afternoon that I was hit, and I believe through the miracle of prayer, I left the hospital 3 days later on Sunday morning, able to walk, and had no spinal damage, broken bones, or any lasting injuries.

 

Time went by and I didn't see my uncle a whole lot for a while. Then I hit my teenage years...I was quite the handful for my mom and my very sick dad. Denny would step in and have talks with me. He seemed to be a kindred spirit...He had been a handful for his parents when he was my age, and could relate to me. He didn't yell at me or even get angry when I would do stupid things like smoke cigs or party til I was puking...He would tell me of trouble he would get into, and tell me how he was able to change his ways. As a teenager I liked danger and living on the edge, and Denny, My "Unca Doom" was right there living with me... He would show up out of the blue and take me for a ride on his motorcycle. He would talk to me about things he liked and things that bothered him. He would listen to me and give me fatherly advice when I needed a dad. When I had divorced Jim, Denny and I did a lot of things together, we even went to singles activities together. We had our own inside jokes, and even outwardly jokes that I know made Jenny and Becky uncomfortable sometimes.  He Is my Favorite and Closest Uncle. And I knew that even with my sisters creeping in on his good side I always was his favorite niece!

 

My life is not the same without Uncle Denny. I miss him! I miss My dad all the more now, too. I started writing this shortly after the funeral, but every time I add anything to it I cry so hard that I can't even see the screen anymore. Happening now too, so I'm going to go ahead and close this and share it with you...Finally.

I love you all, and I'm grateful to have you in  my life, even if we're not as close as I wish we could be.

 

 

 

      Candy

  916-897-4888