A wise man once said that the measure of a life is a measure of love and respect.  We ask ourselves how we measure up.  What’s the final tally we bring before God?  What’s our effect on others?  Did we make the world better for having been here?  What’s our legacy going to be?  What is the measure of both love and respect?  For us, it’s pretty clear that Uncle Johnny lived a full, beautiful life, one of laughter, music, and love. 

The Laughter:

One of my earliest Uncle Johnny memories was the Oktoberfest party that dad threw when we moved into our new house in Delray Beach.  Dad recently shared a picture from this part of Uncle Johnny and Grandpa.  An Italian-American from New York, merging into our large German family, all while wearing lederhosen.  Both smiling wildly.  This picture is but a snapshot in time, but for Uncle Johnny, spreading smiles to others was something he did daily.

Uncle Johnny would always laugh when remembering some of our old stories with us.  Often centered around our basset hound who was quite the character.  Even after 40 years give or take, he would laugh when talking about seeing some of these antics.  Or there’s the mountain man beard outfits that he and dad wore on occasion, which got my Uncle Gerald good, well, according to Dad, that is.  Then there’s the one about the UPS delivery driver coming up around the corner to see both taking a crazy picture.  I’m certain that every family or friend has their memorable Uncle Johnny stories.  I’m more certain that these most feature his laugh and smile.

The Music:

Uncle Johnny had a musical soul.  When he wasn’t laughing, he would be in some sort of song or a groove.  I often think he was taking some sounds around him and playing them internally with his trumpet.  Hearing the rhythm of life and making an impromptu composition.  He could talk about rock, country, bluegrass, classical, and jazz with anyone.  For him, life was musical.  Something to be celebrated and enjoyed.

A large family is bound to have a fair amount of funerals.  Without question, at some point, Uncle Johnny serenaded the departed and us all with some rendition.  After one, I think it was at Grandpa’s, he slipped in a bit of jazz and soul into his playing.  I know he also did that for Mom.  His serenade to the passed and the gathered family comforted better than any words.  In the passing years, details seem to blur together or are forgotten.  For me, what stands out was his playing.  Never one to just play something as written, but he would often add his personal touch to it, as any serious jazz trumpeter would do.  That was Uncle Johnny. 

Love:

Uncle Johnny was love.  The love of life and family.  He gave love freely, asking little in return.  It’s almost cliché to say that people made friends with everyone them met.  For Uncle Johnny, it sums him up perfectly.  Never casting a negative word or thought to others, he would always embrace the positive and affirming words and actions.  His love of life and family are inspirational.

He would always ask how we were doing.  He’d often engage with Vince and Dave for their airplane and rocket models.  Uncle Johnny and I shared a love of baseball, and he would love talking with me about how I was doing in the city league.  In describing my final at bat in when I finished playing in high school, I hit a very slow dribbler to second base, but was able to beat the throw to first.  A base hit.  And in the Uncle Johnny style, he told me he was proud, and but also Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio were proud also.  To this day, it makes me smile.

I’m almost certain my experiences are quite common for everyone who was lucky to have him as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend. 

His legacy of life is unequaled.  The measure of love and respect are so clear for us all.  The echoes of his laughter, his music, and his love are now in our memories, but the effect of his life will always be felt.  We can only hope to make a little difference in the world.  To leave things just a bit better than we found them.  But in Uncle Johnny’s life, the effect is so impressive.  He’s one of the great ones.  A beautiful inspiration for us to follow. Rest in peace, Uncle Johnny.  Our loss is Heaven’s gain.  May your trumpet continue to sing, sing, sing…