A Father Oh So Grand! (A Tribute to James Ralph Brown)

The boy who bore the weight of time,

A child of hardship, forged in grime.

Through dust and hunger, toil and pain,

He rose, unyielding, strong, humane.

The Great Depression stole his youth,

Yet in its wake, he found the truth—

That work and honor light the way,

And doing right must never sway.

From Tennessee to northern lands,

He shaped a future with his hands.

A dream of more, a life secure,

For those he loved, he would endure.

A father’s heart, though grand in name,

To many, more than blood, he came.

A guiding hand, a steady soul,

He shaped their hearts; he made them whole.

With faith unshaken, bright and true,

He walked with God through trials cruel.

Through every storm, through loss and strife,

He stood; a beacon filled with life.

And oh, the joy he so would bring,

A laugh that made the rafters ring.

At dinner’s end, with sly disguise,

He’d slip his teeth and widen eyes.

The grandkids gasped, then burst with cheer,

As Paw Paw grinned from ear to ear.

That Jim Varney chuckle, loud and bright,

Turned simple meals to pure delight.

Yet sorrow’s weight he came to bear,

For Maw Maw’s love was no more there.

A love so deep, a wound so wide,

He carried on but broke inside.

And now the fighter’s war is done,

His race is run; his crown is won.

No longer bound by grief and pain,

He walks with joy in light again.

For there she stands, his love, his bride,

With arms outstretched and teary eyes.

And by her side, their daughter beams,

A family whole in Heaven’s gleam.

So, rest now, Paw Paw, in God’s embrace,

A legacy none can replace.

Your strength, your love, your name lives on,

In all of us, though you are gone.