There were a lot of tears shed at uncle Max’s funeral yesterday — but a whole lot of hugs and smiles too. (Photos taken with the sun directly behind subjects is bad. No, my lips weren’t really purple, and Jerilyn does not have freckles. Tader has a full head — just not all of it has hair.)
Celina, my cousin Linda’s daughter that stays at my house often when she’s in Jackson County, was asked to speak and she did a wonderful job. I simply couldn’t do it, and I’m proud of those family members that can.
She closed with a poem — one written by her Mom (my uncle Jack’s daughter):
SHALE HILL DYNASTY
THE DYNASTY HAS ENDED
THE LAST GREAT ONE IS GONE
THOSE MEN WHO MADE A LIVING
BY THEIR PICKIN AND THEIR SONG
GREAT, YES, THEY WERE
AT LEAST TO US YOU SEE
FOR WE’RE THE ONES WHO’R LEFT BEHIND
CHILDREN OF THIS GREAT FAMILY
OLE SHALE HILL TAUGHT SOME TOUGH LIFE LESSONS
WE STILL LIVE BY THEM TODAY
AND IF YOUR NAME IS MCKAIN
YOU UNDERSTAND JUST WHAT I SAY
THEY SURVIVED THE GREAT DEPRESSION
AND TWO REALLY BAD, BAD WARS
BUT ALL CAME BACK HOME SAFELY
TO THE FAMILY THEY ADORED
SOME LEFT US MUCH TOO EARLY
BUT IN MEMORY THEY REMAIN
THEY ARE NOT FORGOTTEN
THEIR HEADSTONES READ MCKAIN
STEADFAST AND UNITED
WE STAND SIDE BY SIDE
MESS WITH ONE… YOU GET US ALL
WE’RE LIKE A LION PRIDE
SOME YOUNGER ONES CONTINUE
WITH THE PICKIN AND THE SONGS
BUT THE LAST OF THE ORIGINALS
HAS FINALLY GONE HOME
SO NOW THEY’RE BACK TOGETHER
IN THAT HEAVENLY HOME
SINGING TO THE FATHER
ON HIS GREAT WHITE THRONE
AS WE ALL LEAVE HERE TODAY
SWEET MEMORIES WE EMBRACE
OF TIMES WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER
AND THEIR MUSIC TOOK FIRST PLACE
OH, LONG LIVE THE DYNASTY
AND TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR OWN NAME
REMEMBER WHERE YOU CAME FROM
BE PROUD YOUR NAME’S MCKAIN
*** IN LOVING MEMORY OF ALL THE CHILDREN OF JOHN R. AND BESS MCKAIN AND THEIR DECENDANTS……WE ARE MANY
Ikm
