McRae's Memoirs

Uncle Frank May 7th, 2016 Mr. Frank Charlton - Friends of Frank Charlton and Auntie Val, Uncles, Aunts, Nephews, Nieces, Cousins, Brothers and Sister Noelle. My name is Tim McRae. I was in my mind Auntie Val's favourite Nephew. It's days like today we realize just how precious our time here on Earth is. I'll keep my comments short because our time here on this Earth is so precious.... I want to start by recognizing and or addressing Frank Charlton, Auntie Val's yin or Auntie Val's yang depending on who you talk to within the family. Frank came into the McRae Jegou fold some time ago. With time passing by so quickly at my age, it's hard to pinpoint the exact arrival of Mr. Charlton. What is easy to remember is what Frank Charlton found to be so precious. It wasn't Frank's time he found to be so precious, but it was my Auntie Val Frank Charlton found to be so precious. I knew very little about Frank during what I'll refer to as the good times for Frank and Auntie Val. Between family baseball tournaments, family golf games, reunions or just holiday get-togethers, about all I was able to figure out about Franky was that he did not belong to or ever was a part of the Rock Band ZZ Top. As time went along I was able to see that at almost every family event or brief family reunion there was Frank, right beside my Auntie Val, optimistically observing, leisurely laughing and cautiously conversing with McRae and Jegou alike. I did get to know Frank a little bit more. In the recent chapter of the Frank Charlton and Auntie Val love story, there was Frank still. His precious was his precious. Frank stood alongside Auntie Val, he sat beside Auntie Val, he talked to Auntie Val, he listened to Auntie Val, he fetched for Auntie Val, he cooked for Auntie Val and he reassured Auntie Val through the thick all the way through to the thin. Today I will never again call on Frank Charlton as Frank Charlton, Mr. Charlton, or Franky. From this day forward and beyond he will be known to me as Uncle Frank. Thank you, Uncle Frank, for showing my Auntie Val heaven before she even left here. Auntie Val - December 7th, 1938 - February 12th, 2016 Funeral, May 7th, 2016

June 6, 2014 My Brother's Keeper