Family

Cheers to you, Dad

I might’ve had the best dad in the world – there’s no way to really tell. And I’m not saying he was perfect. But he was perfect for me. When we buried his ashes we toasted with his favorite. I’ll try to post more pics of that day soon.

But today – here’s what you get – courtesy of my niece, his youngest granddaughter. <3

The FEET!

Some of my favorite feet – my dad’s and my daughter’s. I like this photo’s angle.. but I always think of how it was setting this shot up. Dad laying on the bed all stretched out and fitting the little munchkin way down to the edge of the bed – it was weird but worth it! 🙂 Also – look at the date.. she’s gonna be 30 next year!!

What do you do with ‘cremains’?

The majority of Dad’s ashes will be buried beneath this brick. A new brick will be made with his name, of course. And I guess this brick will go to a new location.

And when that day comes – we’ll gather and pour probably a little (or a lot) of alcohol under that brick with his remains.

Side note: Who thought of the word ‘cremains’? Just genius.

We did keep a small portion of ashes that were divvied up in these small vials for the grandkids and a couple of Mom and Dad’s closest friends.

Finally, we had 3 glass orbs made; for Mom, me and my brother. You can see the lines of teeny tiny white-ish specks there – those are his ashes. I picked up an LED light stand that changes colors. It’s definitely something he would’ve done. 🙂

Currently my orb is sitting beneath my TV, so Dad gets to watch Netflix with us.

A Modern-Day Explorer – The Obituary

Jon (Jonco), 73, died December 28, 2021.

He was the son of the late Benjamin and Ruth. He was preceded in death by his nieces; Melissa and Renee, and his grandbaby Samantha. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Pat, son Dave (Staci), daughter Kris (Seth), brother Paul (Janis) sister-in-law Gail (Mike), as well as his grandchildren; Renly (Melanie), Seth (Sarah), Vince (Mady), and Logan (Joe). He was also loved by many nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, friends, and more.

Jon and wife, Pat, owned a series of small grocery stores in St. Louis City for 40 years. He always had a passion for computers and any sort of tech, and upgrading to the latest and greatest. He was a people person and loved communicating, from starting his own newspaper as a child to building web-sites, to writing blogs that are viewed worldwide. He was a loyal, long-time member of the Brotherhood of Gluttons and loved getting together with his Glutton friends. He was a father figure and mentor to many – always willing to lend an ear and give the most open-minded advice he could, even if it wasn’t what you wanted or expected. He loved his dog, Buster. He especially loved getting together with family and playing games.

He and Pat visited 48 states together, most notably an Alaska cruise for their 50th anniversary. He loved all things to do with St. Louis, and they had many dates there. He was a modern-day explorer – searching and scouring the web for entertaining bits and pieces to share with his thousands of blog followers. He celebrated talent in all forms. He was extremely creative, smart, witty, and loved being behind a camera or microphone. He was a story teller, a eulogy giver, a trivia master, a foster parent, a pro shopper, a videographer, a movie lover and movie maker, a magic enthusiast, an Elvis fan, a dinner group member, a photo-bomber, a drone pilot, an athletic supporter, a teacher, a learner, an inventor, a thinker and a consumer of all parts of life. He loved adventure; flying, skydiving, hot air balloon riding, scuba diving, motorcycling, and driving his Tesla. Above all, he was a humorist – he looked for the funny in everyday life.

His list of life advice for others (in his own words): “Find things to laugh about. Spend time with family and friends. Don’t let someone ruin your day. Treat people the way you want to be treated. How you react to things that happen in life is much more important than the things that happen. Practice random acts of kindness. Pay for someone’s meal at a restaurant drive-thru. Remember that you’re not always right and they’re not always wrong; people say things from their own perspective.”

Jon supported many causes and especially those causes that were important to his friends and family, so in that regard – any donations should be directed to your local charity of choice.