A Tribute To My Nephew

by in photography and tagged , ,

Richard Alexander Watson

“Fly high, dear nephew! And say Hi to your dad,

and my dad, and the rest of our heavenly family for me. Will ya?”

Alex's Ninja

You see, Alex, 23, bought this motorcycle a couple of months ago.

Alex's cross/memorial

He went on to meet his Maker just a ways beyond this cross.

Uncle Tree and Alex's cross

I work for Kawasaki, and I stand for Uncle Tree.

No need to imagine how I felt. 

A good turnout for Alex's memorial cross placement

The trail of tears ended here on Highway 210, near Richmond, Missouri.

Alex's riding friends -- Fly High

Friends and family showed up by the numbers, which made me quite proud.

An angel in the midst

An angel in the midst is always a comforting sign.

Burnin' for Alex

Burning one for Alex made for a righteously appropriate goodbye.

Smokin' tires and blowing trees

Blowing trees is like smoking tires —

they both end up taking you to the place you’d rather be.

Alex's Nismo 370z

Alex’s Nismo 370z did likewise, but now it remains as part of his legacy,

Alex's skateboards, shoes, and flowers at Thurmon Funeral Home

as do his skateboards and tennis shoes, and the beautiful arrangements.

“Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with such a sweet boy.”

Alex Watson

Richard Alexander Watson

Richard Watson

Richard Lee Watson

11/23/65 — 9/17/12

Billy Lee Watson

Billy Lee Watson

8/24/31 — 6/25/16

♥

Keith Alan Watson

Keith Alan Watson

Uncle Tree

▼

 

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88 thoughts on “A Tribute To My Nephew”

  12. Thank you for sharing, Scott. The amount of support shown on a Friday night was tremendous, and it bolstered my hope in the younger generation. It was a procession for The Ages.

  14. I can’t say I know how you feel but I can say, I do know how you feel. Through the fire of transcendence we bath in a great light called hope. I am finding out also that , “We are going to be just fine.” I read a meme yesterday that said, “Be the person you needed when you were young.”

  18. So very sad. It make scares in the heart. Keep the good memory of him, they will never disappear. Stay happy, even in mourning, that he was sure that all of you should be.

  20. Thank you much, John. Alex did love to race. The night of the accident, he was riding alone, so we don’t really know how it happened, but he rode into that tall grass, where he couldn’t recover. He ended up in those small trees, and it took 36 hours to find him. 😦 Unbelievable!

  25. A such touching post.I feel it particularly close as my husband has had motorbikes since he was 15 and I was his passenger up to a couple of months ago when after over 30 years we sold our last bike.We lost atwo close friends on the way and it is hard. I m very sorry for your loss.Hope peace will come to you at the end.

  27. Thank you very much for the kind and comforting thoughts, Ortensia.
    Sorry to hear about your friends. Peace and luvz to you. Hugz, UT

  36. Keith, what a beautiful tribute to our. Nephew, Alex. I too was astounded by the outpouring of love for Alex, from the many lives he touched in his short life here!! The quiet ones are often the ones who make the biggest impact!! We share the same heartache! 😓

  39. Keith – this was such a tragic accident, and you were able to put aside your grief and spin out a short narrative and match it to pictures – it was a fitting and lovely tribute to your young nephew. You were fortunate to be able to be surrounded by other family and friends who simultaneously mourned Alex and that was a good start toward the healing process. (I am sorry I didn’t comment earlier – we’ve had a stormy day and I was offline a good part of today until the evening.)

  40. I feel for you Uncle Tree. This is so sad. There is nothing worse than losing a child. Take care. Thinking of you so much xx

  41. Not a ‘like’ as such UT, so very, very sad. Been a Biker all my life and lost too many friends and family, it’s made my heart a very hard place. Peace.

  42. So sorry for your loss. We never know when the worst might happen but he will now be among your guardian angels and ever shining love down upon you. Blessings.

  43. Thank you for chiming in, Susie. I wasn’t sure if a short “show and tell” was appropriate for the sad occasion we experienced, but I felt a need to say something, and I wanted to save the pictures here also for further safekeeping of the memories we all shared together.

    No way did this do justice to his character or to the life he lived, or how he went about accomplishing the things he did, beyond and aside from the suffering he endured growing up. I struggled with the words, and at times, nothing seemed right, or it didn’t seem like enough.

    The sense of unfairness and loss in life is something we all have to endure, and I pray those closest to Alex find peace somehow, someway.

    Peace and luvz to you, sis. ❤ Take care, be good, and stay cool. Hugz, Keith

  46. Thank you for the kind and sympathetic words, Linda.
    The stage of shock encompasses a lot of space. Sometimes, one feels like closing the curtain manually, before the act is over, but hopefully, we’ll learn to walk off that stage under our own power, and in our own time frame.

    Peace to you this warm summer Sunday, and hugz from afar.

  47. Thank you kindly, Jan. Your comforting thoughts are much appreciated.
    It’s been tough these last two weeks. Your comments were a much needed lift.

    Peace, luvz, and hugz to you. ❤ Keith

  48. Thank you for commenting, Brian. Sorry to hear of your losses over the years. I had a feeling you’d understand our situation as well as anyone. It was hard to swallow, and even more difficult to digest.

    Peace to you today. Take care and stay safe as possible, wherever life takes you.

  54. I agree, kind lady. Bouncing back is the only way to recover normalcy.
    It’s all to easy to remain numb and unmotivated.
    One’s sense of humor is the last to return, but return it will,
    and we will smile and laugh once again. That I look forward to.

  56. Yes, I know that feeling Uncle Tree … when I went to the E.R. with my mom on her final day of life, I thought it was a kidney stone which was giving her such pain and believed they would zap it with a laser and she’d be going home soon. It was a perforated bowel and sepsis had set in and she died 12 hours later … I was in shock because I really didn’t process what happened … it all went too fast. It is when you stop to think about it, that grief is renewed tenfold, as you said … after the initial shock wears off. I’m glad you got to be with family and friends though – that would help for sure. It was nice you had his dad and your dad in the photos as well. Your brother looked like you in my opinion. You have been in my thoughts since you relayed this tragic news,

    I have no words about this weather – yesterday I had a 5K and did not go as it was raining at my house and didn’t want to walk in the rain (park is a mile away) and they called for a totally rainy and stormy day … today I had another 5K in that beautiful historic park that you liked when I spotlighted it before. The race started at 8:00 and very gray and gloomy. Just finished it and they had an after-race event, came out of the open air pavilion and it was pouring. Had saved some errands for today, so ran them in the rain. I sure hope we get some decent weather soon … we have had rainy weekends for the last six weeks and in a few days it will be Summer and we are headed back every so slowly to Winter – ugh!

    I thought of you during the walk as I saw some very cool trees – this part of the park I never go through as it is kind of isolated and off the beaten path, but it was part of the route … very nice and right in the woods and many fallen trees. Hope they turn out okay – took about five pics but it was dark due to cloud cover and the tall trees. I am uploading pictures right now as I write this.

  80. Uncle Tree, may the legacies of your precious nephew, brother & father live on in you – and in the hearts of all they encountered. So very sorry for your loss(es) – may their souls rest in peace in the Arms of Everlasting Love. 🌟🤗✨💜✨🌟

  82. Ah! Keith.
    A mighty fine send off I would say…to a young man taken so early. I am so sorry for your loss. It seems you have quite the brigade in Heaven UT…Angels to watch over you. They are with you forever…in your heart…in your DNA. I send a hug and sincere condolences to you, my friend 😦
    ❤

  83. Thank you for the kind and sympathetic words, Lorrie. ❤ Much appreciated on this Father's Day.
    Peace, luvz, and hugz to and for you today, dear friend. Take care and stay safe, UT

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