UNCLE JOHN

He never achieved national acclaim,
Fortune and fame wasn't his game.
He was kind, gentle and humble.
Like all, he would sometimes stumble.

He was a husband, father, uncle and friend.
He was his own man, right up to the end.
He was just uncle John to us four,
But he was daddy to his children and more.

He was a husband, a father and a friend.
He was a good man right up to the end.
-- Mary Ann Rector

ODE TO LUCILE and UNCLE JOHN PARKES

To you who have lived your life so fully,
To you who have lived without fan-fare,
When the roll is called up yonder,
Your names will be written there.

Both of you are some years older than I,
But I'm not envious, neither do I sigh.
Should you cross the bar before I do,
Please tell St. Peter I'm coming on too.
-- F. M. Wiggins