Dear Ashley, Maddie, and Aubrey,
My words will do little to convey the grief felt with the loss of Troy, but I want to share with you some of the memories I have of the man who has been such an important part of our family since I was a child, and whose loss we all deeply feel. Among the many memories I have, these are a few that I cherish. I remember the evening he called my father in Albuquerque to ask for Ashleyâ??s hand in marriage; Megaan and I gathered around the kitchen phone as my father spoke, jumping up and down with happiness. I remember being a part of the beautiful wedding, and afterward, Ashley and Troy visiting us in Albuquerque, pushing together twin beds as to be nearer to one another. He gave me my first taste of venison during a Winter vacation in Ruidoso, and taught me to shoot a rifle out at the lake. I remember visiting your home, where Ashley and Troy cooked delicious meals together, my favorite being his own recipe for a salad that I always crave. The meals were always prepared by a man who loved to cook and did so well. I remember his roasted and deep-fried turkeys and ducks at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and a fish fry with Troy and his friends, wherein we had fish caught fresh from the lake that day. I remember opening the finely crafted jewelry box he made me when I was in high school, and all the Cacti he gave me each Christmas. I remember Troy jumping out of the trees to scare us as we walked through the woods by your house, and when he caught, without fear, a water moccasin that crossed his path. And most recently, I remember the tour he gave us of Lake Cherokee, taking us by boat through the marshes, swamps, and open water of the Lake, showing us duck blinds, razor-sharp reeds of grass, pine trees, flights of birds, and a breathtaking winter sunsetâ??a beautiful part of East Texas that I had hitherto not known and a beautiful part of himself that I will always see reflected in the Piney Woods and lakes of East Texas. Troyâ??my brother-in-lawâ??you were greatly loved and will be greatly missed. "Home is the Sailor, home from the Sea. And the Hunter home from the Hillâ?¦May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
##imported-begin##Anaka Johnston##imported-end##