My dear sweet uncle Oren Frank Huddleston passed away this afternoon. I have to tell you all the things that made him so special to me.

When I was in the 1st grade my Grandpa Huddleston passed away very suddenly. My dad was so heartbroken! Just a few days into the grieving process my Dad was breaking a Palomino stallion on our farm and the horse stepped in a hole and tripped. Somehow in falling the horse fell on my Dad and broke his back. From that point on my Dad was in severe pain and in and out of the hospital.

Later my Dad had his 1st of two major back surgeries in Nashville and Mom and Dad were in Nashville for 3 months. My grandmother Huddleston moved in with my grandmother Hodges and took care of us 3 kids.

We owned an 88 acre farm with cows, chickens, horses, coon dogs, ducks, pigs, and all of that had to be taken care of for those 3 months. My uncle Alvin and my Uncle Oren would go down to our farm every afternoon and do the milking and the feeding. After they finished they would come up to grandma’s house and drop off the daily eggs and milk.

When you are a little kid you don’t forget that kind of love!

Later my uncle Oren and Aunt Jean ran Huddleston’s Grocery and Gas Station.

Our family was going through hard times because of Daddy’s bad back and all the medical bills piling up. We got most all our gas and groceries at Huddleston’s and charged to our account. I was too young to really know all the details but I suspect our account was in the red quite a bit. That is loving your brother! It makes a lasting impression.

In recent times my brother, Robert, was inducted into the LA Football Hall of Fame which my Dad would have been over the moon about. My Uncle Oren was the only one left of my Dad’s siblings and he couldn’t even hardly walk but he stood out there on that football field to stand in for our Dad. I will never forget that night and my eyes are tearing now as I write this.

When I think of family I think I have had and do have the very best! The roots run deep and the love is strong. The work ethic is unbelievable and it is such an honor to have the same family blood running through my veins.

My uncle Oren lost his wife of 70 years about 2 years ago. I have never known of such love that he had for her. He has prayed and begged God for 2 years to go on and take him home. The marriage love they had is like no other. Now he has finally crossed over and his prayers are answered. We will all miss him but know he is right where he yearned to be.

All reactions: