 |
| Johnny and me |
My Big Brother, standing a few inches over 6 feet tall and 10 years my senior, was truly a big brother. When I was around 4 years old, I remember him carrying me through high water in our garage to our house after Hurricane Audrey hit Port Neches. My mom had grown weary of the high school shelter and wrangling my 7 year old brother and me. Even though wind was still blowing and light rain was continuing to come down, the real danger had passed and Mama insisted we go back home. Our garage was full of water and too high for a little girl my size to walk through, so Johnny scooped me up in his arms, carrying me through the water to the safety of our house. I thought he was so brave because I heard my mama comment that there might be water snakes in the water.
On another occasion while living in that same house, Johnny and a buddy was taking high school physiology, decided that they would catch bullfrogs at the city park down by the Neches River. There they would use one of the barbecue pits in the park to boil the frogs and reconstruct the bones as part of a science fair project. Before they boiled any frogs though, Johnny decided his little brother and sister should get a chance to see the overgrown toads they had caught. To a 4 year old, it seemed very late at night when Johnny and Lewis showed up at our garage back door. Mama had already gone to the back door when my brother and I came in the kitchen to see what was going on. Just as Johnny opened the gunny sack with the frogs, one of the critters croaked loudly and leaped to its freedom. That thing hit the garage ceiling, coming down on top of our car taking another great leap high in the air, all while my mama was squealing at Johnny to catch the frog and take it back to the park. The details are sketchy, but that's how I remember it happening. All I know was that my big brother could catch bullfrogs late at night and he was sure a brave person to do such a thing.
Many times Johnny showed his love to me making me feel very special. One such occasion was when my aunt gave birth to my cousin, Craig. I was sitting by myself in the hospital waiting room because 9 year old kids were not allowed in the patient's room. When Johnny arrived to meet our new cousin, he saw me sitting alone and asked if I had money for the vending machines. After he learned I didn't have anything to spend, he emptied his pocket change into my hands and told me to buy a coke for myself. Some years later, when I was just turning 13 years old, Johnny gave me a bottle of White Shoulders perfume. That as the first real perfume I had ever owned. He often brought me a little gift, gave me a special ride in his dune buggy or just handed me pocket change for a coke. All of which made me feel like he thought he a had a very special little sister.
My perception of Johnny's bravery became real to me when at about 21 years of age, he was drafted into the United States Army at a time when our country was involved in the Vietnam war. Having been awarded a sizable scholarship to Lamar University after high school graduation, Johnny had fallen in love with a girl he wanted to marry. After months of trying to work part time, earn enough to support a wife who wanted much and go to school, he dropped out of college to work full time. It was then that the draft called his number and he began boot camp. After a time he was shipped to Japan. I remember feeling such relief when 80% of his platoon were deployed to Vietnam; while he was fortunately sent to Japan where he drove and worked with the wounded on a medic bus that received soldiers from the war zone to a Japanese hospital. To me, it took a lot of gumption and integrity to be a soldier and my big brother fit the bill. Unfortunately, after returning from the war to his wife, his young marriage ended in divorce. I recall how respectfully he approached my dad with the news and later with news of his marrying Cynthia. He wasn't sure how dad would take the divorce or his marrying again because of what the church taught about divorce and remarrying. But as soon as my family met and got to know Cynthia, we all knew she was meant to be in our family. When she suffered through an aggressive cancer in her 50's, which eventually took her life, I knew Johnny was in her life for a reason. As Johnny stayed by his love's side through her darkest hours, willing to do anything necessary, I now realize his ultimate act of bravery.
There are so many more stories that come to mind involving Johnny and me. It won't do them justice to write them here. I realize that my big brother was not a perfect man even though I could relay many times he was kindhearted, giving, caring and noble. Johnny realized his shortcomings better than any other person. There was a time when he lived a rough adult life almost to the ruin of another marriage. Although, Cynthia was put off by his heavy drinking at times, she loved him and would not divorce him. She was a God fearing Christian who made a lasting impression on Johnny's life. To her credit she would not insist or pressure Johnny to attend church with her either. He respected Cynthia's faith and after our mother's death, questioned Cynthia about God's love for sinners. In what was Cynthia's dying days and out of his love for her; Johnny took her to church one Sunday. That day he walked down the aisle during an alter call. Cynthia told of the outpouring of love shown to Johnny by the church members and what that act of kindness had meant to him. Cynthia also told me later that he even prayed with her at their dinner table. That meant so much to her. Several months ago, Johnny had hip surgery and their nephew, Chas, came to live 3 months with him to help care for him through his recovery. Chas lived a large portion of his growing up years with Johnny and Cynthia and regarded them as parents. As Johnny was recouperating he had the occasion to think and told Chas that he believed in Jesus Christ and that he would see Cynthia in heaven. I know all the angels rejoiced to hear those words and none more than Cynthia.
My big brother, Johnny, will be missed by many and especially by his little sister.
