The Overseer / Jerry Willson (Brother)
Dear Family,
It's been a little over a month since Ron passed away.
Even though I've lived by "Life Goes On" all my life,
Ron has left a hole in my life. I know Shari, Melody,
and Ryan have the biggest loss, and I'm sure John,
Karen & I and all of our families will miss him
especially as the holidays approach. So here's some
thoughts I've been thinking about.
A few weeks ago, one of my employees was walking a
little blond haired pre-school boy with a big smile
down the hall. I was coming out of a first grade
classroom and when I came around the corner and saw
them, I thought I was seeing little Ron Willson when
he was about 4 or 5 years old. Karen & John & I will
always have that picture in our mind of Ron when he
was little and always had a smile on his face. What
made the event so special for me was that the employee
was Melody. There she was hand in hand with this
little guy who in my mind was dead ringer for Ron when
he was that age. I'm so blessed to work with Melody
and even though we sometimes don't see each other
everyday, I love knowing that Ron's "little girl" is
across the hall from my office.
We've lost a huge part of our family in these past
three years. It's a lonely feeling going into the
holiday season. I was touched by John & Kathy's
reference to the old Quaker Hymn, "It's a Gift to be
Simple" in their recent travels when they were
thinking about Ron. We all have our memories of Ron,
Mom & Dad that we hold close to our hearts. Remember
your thoughts and memories and let's share them
together this holiday season. What a wonderful family
we have. Again, we'd love to have everyone Christmas
Eve at our house. Sunny & I will share some memories
you won't forget!
The tribute I shared at Ron's service was very special
to me in that it made me think of how much I loved my
brothers and sister. What a great upbringing we'd had
and what a blessing it has been to still live so close
to each other. Here are those thoughts:
THE OVERSEER
How fortunate and blessed I am to have had Ron for my
brother. From the day he was born, there was
something about him that made Karen, John & me proud.
He was so special, so likable, so humble, so caring.
We knew he loved us by the way he treated us. But
Karen, John & I were also very protective of him. You
see he had a special start in life, severe speech
impediment, feet that pointed out, limited mobility
and dexterity, and he'd do most things backwards, all
things that we knew he had but we learned to never
see.
We grew up in a wonderful home and a great
neighborhood. Other kids couldn'tt understand him,
because of his speech impediment, so we would
interpret for them. As time went on, all the kids in
the our neighborhood, Mike & Bruce Mattlock, Brian &
Kevin Creelman, Jack & Doug Merrifield, Scotty
Forester. They became his interpreters also as well
as his protectors. When John went to college, Ron & I
became room mates. He was my best friend all those
years at home. We shot baskets for hours. I'd call
him the "old left hander". I'd give him a 20 point
lead and play him to 30. We'd play "make it- take
it", "horse","twenty-one", and if I was not right in
his face, he'd get hot and beat me. I'd say OK but
best of 3. He'd always agree to play again.
We lived on Phinney Bay in Bremerton and our dad bought our
family a boat. We would water ski all day, every day
during the summer. The first boat we had was an old
red fiberglass boat someone made and dad got a good
deal on. It never went straight, always pulled to the
left and with a skier behind the boat it would slip
and slide all over the bay EXCEPT when we had a
counterbalance in the boat. Ron would ride for hours
without every complaining in the back left corner of
the boat while we and half of our church youth group
would water ski. He would later become the driver and
the only one I'd let drive when I skied.(Jack
Merrifield helped us make a ski-board out of 3/4 inch
plywood that Ron would take his turn around the bay
on. It now appears that it was a prototype for the
new "boggie boards" that people use to get pulled
behind ski boats only Ron's was not padded or airo-
dynamic like the new ones.)
Our mom fought for him during the early 1950's when
school districts would put anyone they couldn?t
understand or anyone who couldn't write in special
programs and separate buildings. Mom would work with
Ron for hours and hours on his communication skills.
She would not accept what others said was unfixable.
She knew he could do it and she made sure he tried.
Later, when Ron was a young man, Pastor Chuck Erskine
helped Ron & Paul Haworth, Jr with their lay
ministers license. Ron & Mom would work for hours at
the kitchen table on his sermon material, reading,
practicing, checking his theology for truth and
accuracy, again and again before he would share his
sermon on a Sunday evening. How proud dad &
especially mom were when he'd speak in front of the
church. On a prayer list we found after mom passed
away, she'd ask the Lord to "loosen Ron's tongue."
As the years have passed, I've recognized how the four
of us, Karen, John, myself & Ron have all taken our
place within our family. We all have had different
roles in the Willson clan. Karen, who most of you
know is the youngest of we four, is the "Caretaker".
She is so much like our mom. She was always making
sure mom & dad had what they needed. Cloths, food, if
things needed fixing, she and her husband, Bill would
take care of it. Some years ago, Dad really wanted a
flag pole so Bill & Karen built it for him. When mom
was at Orchard Point Alzheimer's Care Center, Karen
would make sure she had whatever she needed. So we
have the "Caretaker."
John is the "Master Gardener." Mr. John Deer. He & Kathy have become experts at growing things. Rhododendrons & dahlias. My dad &
mom were fascinated with his "tubers." Dad would want
to measure exact distances between each flower but
John could just see the spot and put them in the
ground and they would come up in a row and beautiful.
So we have the "Caretaker" and the "Master Gardener."
Me, I was the "Lawn Boy." I mowed the yard for dad
and mom. Because of our dad's weak heart, he couldn't
walk very far or work very hard before he'd have to
stop and rest. When I got my first riding lawn mower,
I thought now dad will love doing this. He only tried
it once. I watch him (the nuclear chemist) drive
around our yard much like Forrest Gump did in the
movie, in a perfect square in our rectangle yard. So
we have the "Caretaker," the "Master Gardener," and the
"Lawn Boy." Ron on the other hand was the "Overseer."
He'd come down while dad was working in the yard or
painting the house and just stand by and talk to dad.
Then he'd go sit on the deck with mom and watch the
ducks, saying very few words, just being with her.
When she moved into Orchard Pointe in her last few
years, he'd again go and just sit for hours with her.
Often she wouldn't even know who he was, but that
didn't bother Ron, he'd stay by her side for hours,
he'd walk with her, he'd talk with her, then he'd say
"I've got to go, Mom. I'll be back tomorrow." She'd
say, "Ok, see you tomorrow," and she'd wonder who that
was. So you have the "Caretaker," the "Master Gardener,"
the "Lawn Boy," and the "Overseer."
Our Dad and Mom passed away three years ago, and Ron
moved on to be the Overseer for his grown children
Ryan & Jen, Melody & Ben and then his grandchildren
Curtis and little Kara Joy. He made sure Ryan had new
windows for his house in Tacoma and he always wanted
to go see Melody in California or have her fly home.
Now he's gone, and he has made sure that Shari is
taken care of. His bills are paid, the house paid off,
and there is a little money left over. Not bad for a
little boy who some said was unfixable!
This past week, Shari, Ryan, & Melody asked for a plot
in Sunset Lane for Ron where our dad & mom are buried
and guess where we laid him to rest yesterday?. A
plot was available right at the feet of our mom & dad.
Some may say, "That's a God thing." Old folks would
say "God had His hand in that" while some may say
"that's simply a coincidence," and others would say
"it was meant to be." All of them may be right.
I say, the "Overseer" is still on the job!
I love you family!
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