Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Delyle Johnson: November 24, 1957 - Sept 25, 2013



National Geographic ... a window to the world
Today, out of respect for the death of my nephew, Delyle Johnson, I slowed down my pace.  I sat in the sun and read a chapter of a book I have been wanting to read.  I think Delyle would have nodded his head in agreement, that such an act would be a good way to mark his passing.   I couldn't help but reflect on his life.  
Oh brother! that kid knew his geography.  A little guy from Barnwell, Alberta when I first met him -- maybe six years old.  No really big library in his home town, although there was a lot of love in that village.  But initially, not a lot of access to information.  By the time he was 10 years old, Delyle had  read every National Geographic to ever come through the post office to his home.  As a child, he knew where the smallest of towns and villages were situated throughout the world.  Delyle travelled well and far --  long before he left home, before he went to college or had a car or could get on a plane.

He is survived by his wife, Shauri, and their children, James, Graeme, and Jackie.

1 comment:

  1. To honour my cousin Delyle, we had Old Dutch potatoe chips with dinner.

    In 1999, I had occasion to call Delyle's home in the US. My father was there helping out with some renovations. I called to see if he could multi-task and also do some editing of my dissertation.

    The person to pick up the phone was one of Delyle's children. I explained that I was trying to reach my dad, and then asked the child if they knew that their dad had had one of the best jobs a teenager could ever get. He had been employed at a potatoe chip factory. He worked long hard hours, but one perk of the job is that he could bring home any flavour of chips and as many as he could eat.

    For many years, I continued to believe there could not be a job with better perks.

    So, David and I ate potatoe chips with dinner, a tribute to my tall, fun, funny, (9 years) older cousin from Barnwell.

    ReplyDelete

If you are using a Mac, you cannot comment using Safari. Google Chrome, Explorer or Foxfire seem to work.