Uncle NuNu
10/30/2007 03:55:00 AM Edit This 0 Comments »
As some of you may know, my Uncle Noel (Uncle NuNu) had a very early, and unexpected departure from us. We love him dearly and he will be greatly missed. He was the best story-teller I’ve ever known, the greatest cook to grace the state of Texas, and was often a father figure both to my brother and I during our tumultuous teenage years.
I have to share two quick stories about growing up with him…I lived with my aunt and uncle during my sophomore year of high school. Their house was on the 18th hole of the country club golf course, and the backyard had a huge pond full of golf balls from shots that had missed the 18th hole. One day, two friends of mine rang the doorbell and asked if they could borrow 2 of my uncle’s drivers. I said sure and handed them over. A few hours later, the doorbell rang again. It was the golf pro from the club, asking to speak with my uncle. As it turned out, my two friends fished out about 3 dozen balls from the bottom of our pond, then used the borrowed drivers to hit EVERY single one of them back onto the golf course. Golfers who were out enjoying a quiet game of golf, were suddenly pelted by golf balls flying all over the course. The golf pro was livid. LIVID! This did not go over well, but I have to say, my uncle NuNu gave me a lot of undeserved grace! Another test of his patience was when I was water skiing with some friends after school (or during school???) and our favorite skiing pastime was soaking fishermen as they were peacefully sitting in their boats. There were only a few fishermen on the lake that day, so we soaked each one of them well. As we were making another swerve by a small fishing boat, I looked a little closer to see that it was my Uncle Noel that we had soaked several times over. I stupidly yelled, “Hey Uncle NuNu!!!!”, and then realized by the look on his face that I had just busted myself. It took me a while to live that one down….
None of us were surprised that his memorial service was standing-room only. I believe there were well over 200 people there. I’ve attached a brief (way too brief) slideshow of his life that I made for my mother, and below is the obituary that was written for him.
TEXAS CITY — Noel Byerly of Texas City, Texas passed away of natural causes while vacationing with his family and friends in Mexico on Saturday, October 13, 2007. He was surrounded by his loved ones and friends and was having a wonderful time snorkeling! He leaves cherished memories with his wife and best friend, Marla; his daughter Sunnie; his son Colin; grandson Keller “The Critter”; his wonderful in-laws Betty and Norman Snapp; sister Linda Davies; his special puppies Miss Chloe, Mr. Roux, Mr. Tic and Mr. Spike; as well as his many friends and additional family members. He loved life, fishing, his business, his friends but most important his family. He was a loving husband, devoted father and loyal friend who will truly be missed.
I have to share two quick stories about growing up with him…I lived with my aunt and uncle during my sophomore year of high school. Their house was on the 18th hole of the country club golf course, and the backyard had a huge pond full of golf balls from shots that had missed the 18th hole. One day, two friends of mine rang the doorbell and asked if they could borrow 2 of my uncle’s drivers. I said sure and handed them over. A few hours later, the doorbell rang again. It was the golf pro from the club, asking to speak with my uncle. As it turned out, my two friends fished out about 3 dozen balls from the bottom of our pond, then used the borrowed drivers to hit EVERY single one of them back onto the golf course. Golfers who were out enjoying a quiet game of golf, were suddenly pelted by golf balls flying all over the course. The golf pro was livid. LIVID! This did not go over well, but I have to say, my uncle NuNu gave me a lot of undeserved grace! Another test of his patience was when I was water skiing with some friends after school (or during school???) and our favorite skiing pastime was soaking fishermen as they were peacefully sitting in their boats. There were only a few fishermen on the lake that day, so we soaked each one of them well. As we were making another swerve by a small fishing boat, I looked a little closer to see that it was my Uncle Noel that we had soaked several times over. I stupidly yelled, “Hey Uncle NuNu!!!!”, and then realized by the look on his face that I had just busted myself. It took me a while to live that one down….
None of us were surprised that his memorial service was standing-room only. I believe there were well over 200 people there. I’ve attached a brief (way too brief) slideshow of his life that I made for my mother, and below is the obituary that was written for him.
TEXAS CITY — Noel Byerly of Texas City, Texas passed away of natural causes while vacationing with his family and friends in Mexico on Saturday, October 13, 2007. He was surrounded by his loved ones and friends and was having a wonderful time snorkeling! He leaves cherished memories with his wife and best friend, Marla; his daughter Sunnie; his son Colin; grandson Keller “The Critter”; his wonderful in-laws Betty and Norman Snapp; sister Linda Davies; his special puppies Miss Chloe, Mr. Roux, Mr. Tic and Mr. Spike; as well as his many friends and additional family members. He loved life, fishing, his business, his friends but most important his family. He was a loving husband, devoted father and loyal friend who will truly be missed.
