Kenneth Massey

I learned through my UNCLE that if there were anyone I ever had the opportunity to be like, it would be him. He could certainly be the most loving and compassionate person that one would find themselves wishing that there were more like him in this world. My Uncle certainly had a way about touching my heart at times and places that could not have been more him if he had tried. He and l had our good times, family times and as in all families we had our differences of opinions but he always left me feeling that l had been taught a lesson, out of LOVE, after our discussions. A cousin of mine and l had gone, early one morning, deer hunting, at Dugg Massey's place long before sun up. After listening to the Crows for probably every bit of a couple hour's my cousin and l decided to leave and go to uncle Ken's place that wasn't but across the Creek from there. It was too early to barge in on him so we decided to go take a gander at the old Baptizing Hole. We got there and drove my Dad's 72 Cheyenne pickup onto the Creek bottom, from the bank, well anyone that knows anything about Creek bottom's can probably guess what happened next. I knew, but wasn't paying attention, that Steve and l had no idea of how long the last rise had come through so we kept moving and as we did l could feel in the steering wheel that we were in trouble, BIG TROUBLE, of sinking and we certainly were doing that. From one side of the bank to the other it was probably a good 100 ft. and l don't have to tell you that Steve and l didn't make it to the other side and even if we had l don't know where we thought we were going to go because there was probably a, gradual, 3 or 4ft rise from the creek bottom up to where we would have to get in order to make solid ground. Well as much as I could figure then how this whole situation was going to play out Steve and l was just about as deep as you could possibly get with first my father that had no mention of our deer hunting excursion the night before for permission and second Steve and l had to face one of the most highly trained at making you feel any number of things but smart and that was Uncle Ken. We both walked the 3 perhaps 400 yds. to my grandma's old house where Uncle Ken was living at the time. I really was more afraid of what my Dad was going to do about all of this than what was lying in wait for us behind DOOR# 2. I knocked first on the front porch door for what seemed an eternity until, because of no answer, l decided to go to the back door still no answer. Now we were REALLY in over our head's, Steve and l. I was entertaining an idea of somehow taking off for Mexico when the door opened up and l was never more happy to see someone than l was at that moment, my Uncle. I think for just a fraction of a second Steve and l forgot about our situation because before us stood my butt naked uncle. I know that Ken could hear our snickering behind him as he led us to the living room/bedroom. He crawled back into bed and between his falling in and out of sleep as l explained our predicament l guess he began to realize the opportunity that his nephew(ME, JOHN MICHAEL) had presented to him. He began to snap out of his slumbering and in doing so he, with such Massey precision , analyze the whole scenario laughing the entire time with the occasional smirk that he was known to have and all that ever witnessed that smirk if you were by yourself or had your cousin Steve by your side and Uncle Ken was looking at you with it on his face he was sparing you the indignities of the woods themselves which simply meant you were an IDIOT . I don't mean that in a discrediting way at all to my Uncle but with so much LOVE to him that my heart is shattered in knowing that l am without him now. I will finish with this Uncle Kenneth could get extremely angry with me at times and it was normally when we worked yet at times when we would engage in a Political Debate but whichever as l look back it was only out of his warm loving heart that he wanted to pass on to you, the way he learned it, a lesson that if you payed attention and did as he instructed, you would never have to be told again because it would be where he intended for it to be in your heart, locked away. I have thought so many times that had l or all of us had grown up in Uncle Ken's era that this world would be a lovelier place to live. It would certainly be wonderful, in my mind, to be out on the LAZY K with my Uncle Ken riding around in the Gator with Dana in between us repairing fence, putting the water gap back up or just sitting down at the old barn cleaning the matted eyes of the new litter of barn kitten's. Whatever the task was l would, today, be happy to tackle it with MY UNCLE KENNETH. I love and miss you beyond words. I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN.

Condolences to the family of Kenneth. 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4

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