I Hope They Have Hot Rods In Heaven!

You know there are lots of people in a life that are just fixtures. The ones who are there from the beginning. The ones who consistently show up for the celebrations, the pain, and everything in between. The ones who always make you smile. The ones you look forward to spending time with. The ones you know always pray for you. The ones you can’t picture your life without. I have been blessed to have a few of those, and right at the top of that list are my aunt and uncle, Pat & Russ Houser.

For a short period of time in the 1960s, Aunt Pat, my Mom’s little sister, stayed with us in Savannah, Georgia. She was working as a telephone operator for Southern Bell (you young folks will just have to look that up), and family lore tells of a young man she dated who, at the end of the evening, kept her sitting in the car for a little longer than big sister could abide. (Explainer per Mom…Another uncle and his girlfriend were visiting. He was going to sleep on the couch, and they were waiting to go to bed.) So my Mom flipped the porch light on and off, the universal sign for “get your butt in the house”. I know…irksome! Especially coming from your sister. (I think either one of mine would have told me to jump off a cliff or something more colorful! LOL) That didn’t run the handsome young Navy man off, though, and they had the good sense to plan a future together. They married on June 18, 1967, when I was 4-1/2 years old. Of course, I don’t remember that big day, so in my mind, Uncle Russ was just always there. What I do remember, though, are a multitude of holidays, reunions, weddings, funerals, visits, and other reasons we got together. With maybe a handful of exceptions, I spent every Thanksgiving with them, first at my grandparent’s house in Brunswick, Georgia, then at Mom & Dad²‘s place. Aunt Pat and I worked together for a while at Mount Paran Church of God in Marietta, Georgia, and we met the two of them at church on Sunday for several years, too. They hosted our wedding and baby showers, were the first to show up in an emergency, and documented all family events with videos and pictures. (Uncle Russ even videoed Mr. Wonderful (MW) doing the “I’m Too Sexy” dance at our wedding!)

On a beautiful day several years ago they called to talk about something serious…Uncle Russ had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. My first thought was of Papa Banks, whose hands shook so badly he could not hold a drink or feed himself easily. Little did I know that is minor compared to the havoc that insidious disease can wreak. Over the course of his illness, Uncle Russ went from a healthy man who exercised every day to someone who could not get out of bed without mechanical assistance. Along the way, Aunt Pat learned more about that nasty illness than she ever wanted to know and made sure he lived the best he could with what he had. In the beginning they painted and did crafts to help with deteriorating motor skills, and as things progressed, they adapted to the new, ever-changing challenges. With the help of family and friends, Aunt Pat made sure he had some semblance of “normal”, getting out of the house as much as possible, visiting, and having plenty of good food. Through it all and to the end, he was well-loved and taken care of at home, as was his wish.

Russell Gene Houser died on July 23, 2024, and even with his slow decline, I can think of no better example of a life well lived. He was the first person in my memory from a far-away land…an exotic place called Arkansas. The son of a farmer, he was hard working and industrious. After the Navy, he spent his life working on airplanes, first as a mechanic, then for most of his career as an inspector. He started at Southern Airways, stayed there through the Republic years, and eventually retired from Northwest. They loved to travel, and thanks to employee perks, Pat and Russ saw the world, once going all the way around the globe in one trip. Russ also LOVED cars, particularly Mustangs and the beautiful, red hot rod ’32 Ford he restored. Arkansas Razorback football and NASCAR were his sports, and his favorite driver was Mark Martin. (He was pretty excited to hear about it when MW gave me the Richard Petty Driving Experience for my 40th birthday!) At gatherings, Uncle Russ was the quiet guy, asking questions and listening while the other people talked. (He and MW are a lot alike that way.) But he was also a joker, though his humor was subtle…sometimes you wouldn’t get it until later and laugh out loud. He LOVED food, and we used to tease him because his “slice” was about 1/4 of the cake or pie! (Another thing he and MW share.) In my entire life, I never heard Uncle Russ say a bad thing about another person. He served in his church and helped where he was needed. He was an exceptionally good man.

Most marriage ceremonies contain an often glossed-over phrase…”for better or for worse, in sickness and in health”. The vast majority of brides and grooms are like teenagers who think they are invincible….”We’ll have the better and health, thank you very much!” But the worse and sickness have to happen somewhere, and how you behave when those chips fall is the true testament of your character and marriage. In this, Aunt Pat showed us all how it is done. She put on her armor, asked for God’s help, and dove into the fray. Despite sadness, frustration, anger, and every other emotion you can think of, she soldiered on. She showed Uncle Russ that he was loved and valued. She took him on “dates” for ice cream, made sure he wasn’t stuck at home any more than he had to be, and always talked to him even though he couldn’t respond. And I have no doubt that, if the roles were reversed, he would have done the same for her.

As horrendous as his decline, that is not the end of his story. His body was laid to rest in Arkansas with his family, but he was absolutely certain of his place at God’s throne. I know we will meet again and can’t wait to see those pretty eyes! In the mean time, I hope heaven has an airplane or car he can tinker with!!

Talisa

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