Ode to Lelynn

My great uncle Lelynn, who was just two months from being 99 years old, passed away last week. He was such an incredible man. He was very intelligent, kind, and humble. I loved going to visit him and just listening. He could remember any part of his life with great detail. He would tell stories of he and my grandma when they were small children. Those were my favorite stories. I especially like the one about he and grandma pretending to have a circus in their backyard. They used earthworms for a snake show in the circus! My grandma loved snakes her whole life so it was no surprise that a snake show was on the top of her priority list for the circus. Lelynn was also a WWII vet. He was a medic. He won the bronze star for bravery in rescuing his fellow soldiers. When asked to tell the story of how he got the bronze star he would just reply, "Oh, I don't even know." He never wanted to brag.

When I was a little girl we would go to visit him and he would get out his puppet, Pepper. He would write letters to me with all of the words going around in a spiral or he would write them from Pepper.

As I got older I learned to appreciate his love of geneology. He has traced our family's history back to the 1600's! I could sit for hours and listen to him tell about our family's roots. I think part of my love for scrapbooking must have come from this trait of his. I want to continue to tell the stories of my family's history.

I will miss him greatly.These images are from his 98th birthday party last year. We all went down to Red Wing and surprised him. I saw him one more time after this - it was after the fall that would take his life. He had fallen and broken his hip and shoulder. He was in the nursing home and had developed pneumonia and pulmonary emboli. He was having a very difficult time breathing and it was hard for him to talk. I want to remember him like he was at this birthday party. He told me before I left the party that he would like to have birthdays more often if they were like this one. That warmed my heart.

This is how I will always think of Lelynn. Sitting in his chair and captivating the entire crowd with his incredible stories. Never forgetting a detail.
God Bless You Uncle Lelynn.