My uncle Gilbert has passed away

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Gilbert-Lee-Jackson-Profile-1429091788My mom’s youngest brother passed away this week. Gilbert Lee Jackson was one of those men that was hard to get to know. When he first entered a room, he seemed to fill it, but then he would sit down in a chair and listen. You’d almost forget that he was there, until he laughed. It was a deep, deep laugh, like the earth had heard a joke. Then he would subside again.

When I write about men with low, rumbling Southern drawls, Uncle Gilbert is who I’m thinking of. He didn’t speak often, but I loved the sound of his voice.

I lived far away, so didn’t spend much time with him when I was a child and even less as an adult. But the stories that Grandma used to tell… Oh, my. Apparently, everyone in the neighborhood new Uncle Gilbert’s name because of how often Grandma shouted it. He was, I gather, a bit of a rapscallion in his youth. But I remember watching this bear of a man dissolve into a pool of honey when his grandchildren and great grandchildren entered the room.

He will be sorely missed.

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13 thoughts on “My uncle Gilbert has passed away”

  11. Mary Frances

    My sympathies. It’s never easy to lose anyone, and your uncle sounds as though he was one of the touchstones of your childhood.

  13. Gloria Magid

    Mary – so sorry about the loss of your uncle. My favorite aunt died this year – she was my dad’s youngest sister, and was the “fun” aunt that all the kids in the family loved. Her loss has left a void, even though I have lived far away for years and saw her only infrequently. I have the memories, though, as I know you have yours of your uncle. They will remain a treasure.

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