Uncle John's Funeral

Front page of the Memorial Service Program

I was blessed to be able to attend the viewing and memorial service for my Uncle John Madison. I had scheduled off this past Wednesday and Saturday from work and my boss had no problem letting me go a few extra days during our busiest time of the year. I knew that if I didn't go to the services I would always wish I had.

My parents and aunt Nancy met me in Jacksonville and we drove my car to Oklahoma City. We arrived at 2:30 AM on Thursday. The viewing was for family and close friends at the funeral home at 10 AM that morning. It was so good to see my family members I haven't seen in years - most of them I had not seen since my wedding. One of them being my Uncle John.

After the viewing we went to my Aunt Corrine's house and ate lunch and visited. I was able to meet my cousin John's new wife Bettina and child Alex for the first time. I was able to spend quite a bit of time with my cousin Christine as she created the program for her father.

That evening Christine's Uncle from the Madison's side made some delicious Gumbo for dinner. We went back to the hotel to rest for the evening.

The funeral services were held at the Church of the Servant which is the Methodist Church that my Uncle attended. It was a very nice service. My cousin John gave the eulogy that was very touching. I loved the opening paragraph that explained so much of who my uncle was as a person....

My father was found with the outdoor faucet running, a squeegee in place, and a bucket full of soap suds. He wanted to surprise Mom by taking care of a bunch of projects around the house while she was away in Wisconsin. He didn’t quite have the chance to finish up washing the windows, but his death was perfectly symbolic of his life, always taking care of the people around him. His life philosophy was a simple one, which he recited to us kids too many times to count. “Do unto others as you would have done to you.” I hope that his example of selfless treatment of his fellow man can be a legacy that we can can all carry with us.

I loved the songs that were chosen for the service. "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," and "Be Still My Soul." There was a lovely solo as well of "How Great Thou Art." They were songs found in the Methodist Hymnal but ones that we knew as well from the LDS Hymnal. I find that whenever something happens - whether it is a celebration or something touching or sad, I want to sing. Singing is the way I feel that I can express myself, express my love.

Me and Grandpa Jerry Wakefield outside the Church's Sanctuary

3 generations: Me, Dad, Grandpa

Aunt Nancy Wakefield, Dad, Mom, Grandma Toni Wakefield, Grandpa Jerry Wakefield, Aunt Pam Bowman, Me, Aunt Barb Denisoff

We went over to the LDS church for a lunch that the Relief Society prepared for us after the funeral services. The building is literally 15 feet from the Oklahoma City Temple.

Me in front of the Oklahoma City Temple

My dad and I left the lunch to go over to a Tire store. The hotel we stayed at was doing some repairs and there were all sorts of nails we found on the road. One of them went into our tire and flattened it. We went to see if it could be repaired. We were gone for about an hour and a half and the tire was thankfully able to be repaired and it was no charge! I was amazed.

We returned to the Madison home where we all talked more before saying goodbye for our drive back home on Saturday.

It was freezing outside, a cold front came through and I didn't even check the weather. With the wind it got down into the high 20's in the morning. Oklahoma City sure does experience extremes in weather. I didn't come prepared for cold weather and was thankful that there wouldn't be a graveyard service. My Uncle wanted to be cremated and his remains will be placed in the lake behind my Aunt's house.

It was a long trip - it truly made me appreciate Omar and all the driving he does when we go places. I was really glad we were able to attend. I have a renewed commitment to be sure that we attend our family reunions in the future. Hopefully we will all be able to have one again soon. Next year is our scheduled reunion but it looks like we might put it off a year because there have been so many unexpected get-togethers within the past year. I am so grateful to have such loving family members who try to support one another in every way possible. The road won't be easy for my cousins and Aunt Corrine, but I know that the Lord will be with them to provide peace, comfort and guidance.