Uncle Fred

For those of you who know me well, know I have an uncle who could be perfectly described as a mountain man! He owned some mountain land north and west of Ft. Collins, CO and lived alone in a camper trailer. He was always complaining about the bears! He had no running water on his property and used stoves to keep him warm in the winter.

My mom was supposed to meet him the day after Thanksgiving (on her way to our house) at his turn-off so she could give him some food items he had requested from Kansas. He never showed up that morning and she began to worry! He would never miss an opportunity to get his favorite hams and black walnuts! My mom continued to try to get a hold of him the entire time she was at our house and then stopped back by his turn-off on her way back to Kansas. She never received any word from him so her worry increased. She just knew something was wrong.

She was tempted to drive up to his property to check on him, but my aunt and I encouraged her not to just in case something bad had happened. See, my uncle was a fetal alcohol syndrome baby (he was adopted as a baby by my grandma and grandpa) and struggled his entire life with his addiction. He was a chain smoker as well and had many accidents throughout his life including a traumatic brain injury and several back injuries. He was not the picture of good health by any means.

About five days after my mom got home from her trip out here she received a phone call from a man she didn't know. He claimed to be my uncle's friend. He hadn't heard from Fred in about three weeks so he decided to go check on him and unfortunately found him dead in his trailer. He could tell by Fred's phone that my mom had called many times. The next day my mom received a call from the coroner. The coroner wanted to know what to do with Fred's body. She also mentioned that it appeared as if Fred had laid down to take a nap on Thanksgiving Day and never woke up. He apparently had a heart attack. 

Fred hadn't been in contact with his boys (he has 4 biological sons) in years so my mom didn't have any current information on them. The coroner took what little information Mom knew and found Fred's oldest boy in Cheyenne, WY (only a couple of hours away from Fred's property). Mom had already decided to cremate Fred (because that was what he always wanted). My mom received a phone call from Fred's son (his name is Fred too) and they were able to reconnect. She mentioned that Fred's wishes were to be cremated and for his ashes to be spread on his property. Fred Jr. was more than happy to do that for his dad.

As the week progressed, Fred Jr. informed my mom that he wanted to spread Fred's ashes on his property on Friday, December 12th. My mom and aunt were going to meet him there. It took me a while to decide if I could go, but I ended up making a very quick trip (there in one day, back the next). Dave offered to take some time off of work and to stay home with the boys so I could go. I have such a wonderful husband! I'm glad he allowed me the opportunity to go!

Fred's boys are the only cousins I have on either side of my family. As kids, I was closer to his younger two boys. I hadn't seen Fred Jr. since I was in middle school, maybe. I was excited to see him again and reconnect with a cousin!

There ended up being a lot more people there than I thought. I'm glad we had such a good turnout to say a final good-bye to my uncle. It was a beautiful perfect day in the mountains! Although I spent most of my life being scared to death of Uncle Fred, in a strange way I will miss him. It makes me sad to think about the challenges he was given in life and wished it could've been easier for him, but I do know that all things happen for a reason. Good things can come out of sad circumstances.

The house he had worked on for years and never finished and the camper he was living in

Fred Jr. saying a few words

Spreading his ashes

My mom, Fred Jr., & Aunt Cathy

Fred's first wife is in the middle, her husband is on the far left, her oldest son (Fred's step-son) is between them and then Fred Jr. & his wife are on the right

Reunited cousins

It was fun spending time with Fred Jr. He looks so much like his dad and his mannerisms are so much like him as well. I'm hopeful we can stay in contact and not let another 20+ years go by before we see each other again!

Good-bye for now Uncle Fred! You will be missed.