We said goodbye to my son Jon on October 29, 2024, after his courageous three year battle with cancer. Jon did not let cancer define him, he chose to live each day as if it mattered. While I have grieved his loss in many ways, I have chosen to write him a letter of love that I would like to share with all of you.
Dear Jon:
First of all, I want to thank you for the 45 years of joy and happiness you provided to mom and me as well as to Lynda, Jeff, Jamie, Christie and all your nieces and nephews. During those 45 years you not only touched our lives with your love and laughter, you impacted the lives of so many of your students, your friends and your fellow staff members.
From the conversations I have had with your colleagues, you showed great patience and understanding with your students, and your collaboration with your fellow staff members was outstanding. Their love and admiration for you was an outgrowth of your generous spirit and personality. Several stated that they will miss your funny stories and the way you could disarm an individual with your stories and your laughter. Central Middle School will not be the same without your presence and your joyful spirit.
Mom and I will always feel a huge gap in our lives; in our family room we have a picture frame with the inscription “pals forever,” and there is a picture of the three of you from a vacation a number of years ago. That picture has always been one of my favorites because it demonstrated the brotherly love you each had for one another. In many respects you were the glue that held our “pals” together with your stories, your laughter and your dedication to both Jeff and Jamie. Your love for them was always so evident in your desire to bring them together for a sporting event, or to just sit at our house and enjoy reliving stories about our family.
Your love for family was always obvious in the time you shared with all of us, especially the time you dedicated to Jake and Ella by attending all of their sporting and school events; they looked at you like a second father, who they could always count on when they needed help or advice. No uncle or aunt has ever given as much to their niece and nephew as you and Lynda. Jake and Ella will miss you at the milestones in their lives, but I know you will always be a presence at those events.
There is so much I can say that speaks to our sorrow in losing you and the joy and happiness you gave us. I will miss my White Sox buddy, our trips to Disney World, and your strength and bravery in not letting cancer define your life. I will miss your giggle and laughter and your big hugs when we said goodbye. I will especially remember the last hug we had together the morning you left us; I will never let that go from my mind. One final thought; please do not worry about Lynda, she is part of our family, and we will always be there for her. I want you to rest assured that we will never lose her from our lives.
Jon, I will miss you more than you will ever know, and I know in my heart that someday I will be with you again. I hope you have been welcomed by all of our loved ones who have passed on, and I ask for you to look after all of us, until we join you someday in the future. It was an honor to be your father, and a gift to be your friend.
Love,
Dad
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