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Don and Alva McDiarmid What a beautiful tribute to a wonderful man. I always thought that his father Walter was one of the great males I had met in my
lifetime, but in later years I came to realize that Jack was exactly the same way with the same values and humor and deadly cribbage game. |
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Jan Crook Pierson, a.k.a. Calamity Jan Jack, or "Uncle Jack" as he soon became known to our family, was loved.
Just loved. Why? No one probably can answer that with words because "LOVE" and
"JACK" are very closely related and both defy words. |
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Laurie (Pierson) Schissler I can still remember wondering about this man that my Aunt had married over in Hawaii. I had heard a little bit: He was somewhat older than she was, he managed a sugar cane plantation
over there; but I was looking forward to finding out for myself. Maybe I was a little
suspicious or skeptical, but all that was dispelled as soon as I met him. He was a great big
soft-spoken man with a kind smile, and I soon found out that his heart was as big as his
stature. |
NOTE FROM JUDY: At the end of Laurie's message, you'll find a reference to tickling. When the four Crook kids (Carolyn, Janet, Judy, and David) were growing up, their Grandma Sue Boynton introduced them to the fine art of light tickling of feet and legs, plus light massaging of feet.
Tickling Grandma Sue was never an option. It was a given. Every Sunday afternoon following dinner and cleanup, she lay down on the sofa for a little snooze. One of us would sit on the sofa with her feet in our laps.
We then learned Tickling 101. The idea was to relax Grandma enough so she'd snooze well. And she did. But we also learned that if we lifted our hands up for a little rest (tickling for antsy kids could be exhausting) she immediately woke up. I remember her saying, "Judykins!" Not in a mean way. But definitely in a way that suggested more tickling.
The Crook kids taught their children Tickling 101 as well. Every time any of us got together, we had tickling and massaging sessions. Living room floors were perfect for such activities. Sometimes a group of us would sit in chairs one behind the other while massaging the shoulders of the person ahead of us.
Which brings me around to Jack. He loved human touch, and when he met the Crook family, he was in hog heaven once again. (He already had a loving relationship with his own family.) And from that time on, anytime we went to visit family (or they came to visit us) the routine continued. Somehow, Jack made it known that he loved being tickled and massaged. He also cheerfully enrolled our four grancdhildren in Massaging 101. He also hinted. Big time.
When discomfort rendered him unable to lie on the floor, he'd sit in his recliner and enjoy a good foot massage from anyone nearby. Judy included. In fact, for years while we watched his favorite show, Wheel of Fortune, I'd sit on the floor and massage his feet while he massage my shoulders. Good memories.