china - Remembering Uncle Ed

My Uncle Ed (Edwin Faulkner) went to be with the Lord on December 27, 2009. He would have turned 76 this Saturday the 23rd of January. He leaves behind his amazing wife Bonnie, two awesome children, and a grandson.

(Uncle Ed & Aunt Bonnie when I was a mere toddler & my brother Zach was an infant.)

Looking back on my life, I can now see that "Uncle" Ed was more like a grandfather to me than anyone else in my life. Both of my grandfathers passed away many years ago. Eugene Faulkner, my mom's (& Uncle Ed's) father, died in 1984 when I was less than a year old. Gordon West, my dad's dad, passed away 1993, when I was only 10.

So for the past 16 years or so Uncle Ed has been like a grandfather to me. He has been around for almost every major family event that I can imagine, including graduations, baby dedications, my grandmother's funeral this past summer (not his own mother, but his brother-in-law's mother!) and my brother Zach's wedding in August of this past year. We will miss him dearly at these family gatherings!

(The above picture is from my son Gabriel's baby dedication in 2006.)

Uncle Ed was an extremely funny man who had a joke or a clever story for every occasion under the sun. Some of his stories we had heard a thousand times, but it wasn't uncommon for him to surprise us with a new one (at least new to us!) when we least expected it.

(Four Generations: Uncle Ed, my father Laban, my bro Zach & I, and my son Gabriel)

Most of Uncle Ed's stories were humorous ones, but many were also very serious. He spent many years working as a chaplain in the prison system in California, and he often told of his experiences of having met serial killers such as Charles Manson and being able to talk to them about Jesus.

And talking about Jesus was one of the things that Uncle Ed most loved to do. His jokes and stories were never rude or improper. He loved to tell stories that made a point, that made an impact, and most of all that made someone think about Jesus and their need for Him!

That is what I am going to miss most about Uncle Ed.