An Uncle and a friend

Uncle Jeff was always the uncle that was around the most. That probably had a lot to do with him and my mom's special brother/sister bond and love but either way he was always there:) I was also a little jealous of you, Stacy, because growing up you always seemed to spend a lot of time with your dad and I used to think that was so cool:) He used to stop by our house or come over to Grandmas's where we were either hanging out or living at the time and it would be just you and him coming to say hi.

For some reason I am always reminded of my baptism day when I think of Uncle Jeff. I had actually asked him to be one of the speakers and he got the "privilege" of speaking on the Holy Ghost. I remember sitting in the front row with my two best friends who were not members and when Jeff spoke all 3 of us were in tears. I had never felt the spirit like that before and my friends had absolutely no idea why they were so emotional. I don't remember his exact words but what I felt was undeniable.  It was an amazing experience for an 8 year old and I am so thankful to him for experiencing that.

As you know my dad had a sort of midlife crisis when I was about 10 and decided to quit his job and try and get into medical school. It is a decision that has forever changed our lives:) We had just moved back to Mesa after living in Missouri for 2 years so my dad could go to medical school and finances were very tight. I don't remember all the details but I do remember wanting a CD player really, really badly for Christmas (hahaha shows how old we are) I think Sarah wanted the same. I don't think it was something we really expected to get but by some miracle we both got not only a CD player but the coolest multi disc changer/radio I had ever seen. My mom had told us that it was Uncle Jeff who had bought us those gifts and although they were way more expensive than we were asking for he wanted to make sure we had a good Christmas. I will forever be grateful to him for always looking out for my family and especially his love and care for my mom. She has always told us what a wonderful brother he was growing up and how he was her best friend even as adults. We sure do love him and are so thankful for his selfless service and love!

Donnie