Safe at home

I got a text message from my cousin at 2:41 this morning to let me know that my uncle, Glen H. Walker, passed away.

There were a lot of labels that could be applied to Uncle Glen: he was a big time heart surgeon in Southern California, he twice served as president of the Los Angeles LDS Temple, he sang in the Southern California Mormon Choir. He was a counselor and confidant. He always had a story. He was funny, he was compassionate, and he was a kind man. He will be missed.

Of all the memories I have of my uncle, the most prominent is of the time he took me to my first Major League Baseball game. It was the Dodgers vs. the Cincinnati Reds, and Dodger Stadium was celebrating its tenth anniversary. It was a night game, and I was totally in awe because the real Johnny Bench was catching for the Reds. This wasn’t the “B” team. These were the authentic big league players!

As a souvenir of the game, Uncle Glen bought me a tenth anniversary banner, which hangs in my office to this day — surrounded by my sons’ Little League ball caps. The tip of the pennant shows a Dodger coming in home, sliding past the catcher. And somehow I just know that the catcher is Johnny Bench. I know it is.

When I thought of what would be appropriate to run in his memory, this Good Heavens cartoon immediately popped into mind.* It’s one I’m sure he would have appreciated, along with the follow up (tomorrow’s cartoon).

I’ll miss him.

Thank you, Uncle Glen.

*I’ve got to make special notice of the Old Dutch Salt and Vinegar Chips, an added bonus that gives a nod to his Canadian heritage.