dear John

i will always remember the sign that they placed in their yard for Christmas. It had an angel on it with a very large "Merry Christmas from the Shoemakers". And they were the Shoemakers up until the phone rang tonight at 11:00.

It had been a rough 3 years for John physically. He had been through strokes, a massive heart attack and a brain tumor. and through it all his wife, my mother's best friend was the strength for us. most of the time they were more at peace with everything than we were. and so i will always think of john as an incredible husband and friend. he became a father to his nephew and niece without asking. he loved and served his church as much as he could even when he was sick. he got it right...

so i thank you John for what you have given us in lesson and in life. thank you for taking me to the beach and the mountains. thank you for all of the pictures and shirts from all over. thank you for letting me pretend that your dog was mine. thank you for supporting me and my life goals. thank you for loving your wife so much...i will remember your example forever. and we'll take care of our girl.