In Loving Memory of

Allen Leon Jeralds, Jr.

                                  Brought to us:                         Given to God:                       

                          May 4th, 1950                          August 14th, 1998

                          Survived by his loving wife, LuAnn, his precious sons,                         Allen III, Timothy, and Justin, his family and friends.

"The Greatest Gift of All"

                            I have been taking the time to reflect on my relationship with my Uncle                         Allen recently.  Time to remember, time to rejoice in those memories, and                         time to honour and admire him for the wonderful man he was.  My first                         thought concerning my Uncle was that he gave the greatest gifts.  A childish                         notion that while simple, shone with honesty and the innocence of a grieving                         niece.   There was never a holiday where I didn't look forward to seeing his                         bright smile and feeling his scratchy beard as I ran to give him a kiss.  I                         looked forward to hearing his laugh and sharing in his humor.  When I was                         younger I looked forward to unwrapping that carefully selected gift for a                         young, adoring niece.  As I got older I looked forward to the hugs and the                         laughter and put gifts aside for adult things like conversation and coffee.                        But now I realize that he truly did give the greatest gifts.  Walkmans and                        Barbie dolls and nifty watches aside, what he truly gave me was himself.  His                        spark, his laugh, his love for life and for his family and friends, his                        compassion for humanity.  He gave us his precious laughter and his                       unwavering strength.  He gave me the chance to believe in myself because he                        believed in me and should I forget, I had but to look in his eyes and see his                        love shining through them.  The greatest gift my Uncle has given me was of                        himself.  

                       I rejoice in knowing that his suffering has come to an end, but my tears still                         flow in deep rivers.  I cry because we're suffering the loss of a great man.  I cry                         because I am one of God's most impatient children.  Impatient because I                         know I will be with you on streets of gold one day, dear Uncle, but until then                        I'm here without you.  I cry for my family, because we cant understand His                        ways and sometimes we need to ask why and when given an answer, cry                        anyhow.   I cry because I miss you.  But I hold my chin up and my head high                        because I know you would expect me to, and I want you to be proud and                        take joy in the knowledge that I'm learning, slowly, to be strong, like you.                       But there is joy beyond those tears.  Joy and gratitude.  I thank the Lord for                       each day you spent here with us, every blessing bestowed on us by your                       presence.   They say that we dont always understand Gods plans, and I agree,                       but Heaven can only part with His angels for so long and as much of a                       blessing as your life has been to us here on earth, let it be tenfold to Him in                      Heaven.   The Lord keeps you now, as He keeps all of His children in His                      embrace and those as wonderful and precious as you, Uncle Allen He holds                      closest to His heart.

                     May you bless the angels in Heaven as you've blessed us here on earth.

                                                                                          With Love for Eternity,

                                                                                                Your adoring niece, Shannon