June 16, 1931 - October 25, 2008
Wife of Richard Johnson, and mother of Stanley Johnson, my beloved Aunt June went to her reward after a long battle with cancer.
I honestly wish the government would spend less on political edeavors like campaigns and start spending those millions of millions of dollars on cancer research. It's a disgusting shame that we're in 2008 and there is no sure-fire cure for cancer yet. Or, maybe it is and they rather keep cancer going because of the money in medicine and doctoral paychecks? Who knows.
I do know this: No sweeter person could be asked for in an aunt. You can see her in Papa Roy's 100th Birthday Mule on the Street video, the first of 7 Rhea children:
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v14335848xtQKxeHa
When I was a kid and created Muley, I said that I wanted to be a cartoonist and draw Muley comic strips and comic books. That I wanted to have a Muley puppet show. Others bawked at me and said I was a silly little boy, some said "You'd be great" and followed it up with "but you're a dreamer and it will never happen!" I, of course, have kept going and going to do it because I have to prove wrong those who didn't believe in me, and those who did believe in me I have to make their hope, and mine, a reality.
But, moreover anybody else Aunt June would look at my drawings, read my dumb punchlines and watch my little puppet shows and tell me how wonderful they were and that she belived in what I wanted to do. She always allowed me to keep hope in what I wanted to do because it made me happy. I think that is important to do that for someone you love--push them to do what makes them happy and, no matter how outlandish their dream is (as long as it is good and doesn't hurt anyone) to stand behind them.
And she did.
When Muley's Comix and Stories #1 relaunch was completed, she was already in later stages of cancer and I gave her a copy of the book. She told me how beautiful it was, that she liked the jokes, and mentioned how much she loved Muley.
Her love of my little Muley was always present. I can remember being in my early 20's and the Muley puppet was sitting on the back of a couch at Papa Roy's house and I came into the room and she was standing at the couch looking at the puppet and was saying, "How's my little baby? How's Muley? You want to play with Aunt June?" I think I had done my job as a puppeteer to bring him to life enough that she would want to play with Muley even when he wouldn't talk back.
That's how much she believed in me and what I was doing. That was when I realized how important she was to me and what I wanted to do. I also saw the sweetness that was my wonderful aunt. She would sit for hours on end, no matter how good or bad she felt, to listen to me rant on and on about Muley, read the comic strips I had done, or watch Muley videos no matter how long or boring it may have been.
Uncle Richard told me during a recent trip to see her that he wished I could come up more often. I regret not going up to see her more often--only a 3 hour trip away from home--but, it hurt to see her in the condition she was in and I had rather remember her as she was. Still, I took Muley to see her on each trip and she would smile, and laugh, and light up. She would laugh at his antics and the way I would let him react to what was on TV, or a song that was playing in the background. She loved his 6 year old reactions to things, and would still treat him like a living, breathing person!
On another trip I took her an old version of the Muley puppet and asked her if she could watch him for a while for me because I was a bit too busy to keep up with him. She said she would babysit Muley for me. I thought it might make her happy to be able to look over and see him sitting there.
I hope it worked. I hope someone will tell me that each time she saw him it brought a smile to her face.
You know. my mother went up to see her once during one of the times she was in a horrible shape during her illness, and I asked Mama to please tell her that Kevin and Muley love her and miss her and want to come see her and run foot races and tell silly stories to her. According to Mama, she wasn't responding to anybody or anything, but she replied, "I love 'em, too" when we were mentioned. I would like to think that there is a great connection between Aunt June, Muley and I.
So much so that, as I sat at a Halloween party last evening and Mama called me, asking, "Hi, honey, where are you? Home or Out?"
"I'm at my friend's Halloween party, what are you doing?"
Mama's voice was sweet and candy-coated, "Nothing, but I need you to call me early in the morning when you wake up and are at home."
I paused--this was a sign and I started with the first thing in my mind: "Aunt June died, didn't she?"
Mama paused, and said, "Yes."
"I'll talk to you in the morning, and I love you," I said. My mom replied that she loved me, too.
I sat there and thought a second--some of my friends heard me say that she'd died and knew how much I loved her and appreciated her for believing in me.
The house is outside the city, and we were outside near a firepit, and I gazed up into the stars shining so brightly. I love shooting stars and I asked, "Aunt June, please send a shining star for me to see." It was about 20 minutes later and--maybe coincidentally, but I like to think it was her--a big beautiful shooting star flew across the night sky, a long distance and very bright.
I leaned to my best pal Antone and told him I asked her for that, and he said that was awesome. And it was. She was finally home.
I'm an emotional mess writing this. People ask me why I wake up in the mornings dreading the day, and it's because of things like this when people you love are no longer right here where you can get to them at any second you want, because of the heart ache when you lose them, and the many hours of life spent missing them. When someone who has wished you success in something you love is gone, it is rather heart breaking. Many tears have fallen typing all this here.
But, more than any of that, I am happy and thankful to God that I was given the chance to know someone so sweet, loving, and trustworthy as Aunt June.
Aunt June taught me that love, patience, and understanding with others' ideas help them feel good about what they are doing and makes them work at it harder to make that the best they can be.
With all my heart's love and appreciation, thank you Aunt June for always having been who you were for me! I love you dearly.
