My Uncle Joe

My Uncle Joe

A ready smile,

A ready laugh,

An engineer par excellence,

And, with it the intelligence and expertise,

Faith and family gave him strength,

Faith and family sustained him,

Most importantly,

He loved his family,

His beloved, Clara,

His daughter Ruth,

His son Joseph,

His son William,

He was a builder,

He built a sailboat,

One that sailed on the Ohio River,

He helped build a church,

One that would see the funeral of his wife,

He built a life,

One that would draw so many to his side,

We all deeply sigh,

This sigh is for us,

For in life we miss him,

For in life we miss his ready smile,

We miss his ready laugh,

Yet, in faith,

We laugh,

We smile,

Because, in faith,

We know he is home,

Home with his beloved, Clara!

And, someday,

We will see you again,

Sweet Uncle,

Sweet Uncle Joe!

Peter Lowell Paulson

September 14, 2014