In loving memory. A tribute to John G. Adams by his niece, Suzanne. August 2000

This is the first time in my life that I don’t have an Uncle John. I had an Uncle Earl [Aunt Florence’s husband], three Uncle Ed’s, but only one Uncle John, Uncle JG, or Uncle Doctor, Sir…depending upon his stature at the time. My Dad always called him Johnny.

This may seem strange to those of you who knew Uncle John later in life. But, he was the little brother whose Father died when he was 13. He started working in the drug store to contribute to the family well-being, just as his older brothers and sisters were doing to help Grandma. When he returned from the War, he bought the drug store..aka/Adams Pharmacy, in 1946…the rest is history!

What a wonderful drug store it was…with booths in the back for ice cream Sundaes, with nuts and whipped cream…and everyone in the family kept their jewels in the pill boxes! The drug store became quite important when my Father was diagnosed with cancer only months after he returned from Germany. Uncle John and Sooner [John Forbarick—my father’s best friend] let my Mother practice on them..giving shots…soon they handed her oranges and let her make her mistakes there! Uncle John was much more patient and understanding then.

I was lucky to be born at the time I was because I was the only baby in the Family and Uncle John spoiled me rotten…everything was fun..the whole Clan as well as surrogate family members congregated at Grandma’s at least once a week. I found a letter he had written to Grandma while he was on R&R in Austria in June of 1945 where he actually said to his Mother..they were having “one hell of a good time.”

Uncle John was probably Pittsburgh’s Bachelor No. 1, with his yellow Mercury convertible, his Springer Spaniel, Jaggers, his golf clubs, tennis racquets and other trappings. Luckily for him and all of us, he met Mary and he gave me my newest—best friend, Beth. I was no longer the center of attention, but that was OK. Subsequently, we got Chris, who Beth and I, as teenagers, tolerated until she became quite the lovely lady and is most loved by us both..as Beth’s real sister and my adopted sister.

Uncle John helped everyone in the family…and everyone looked to him for advice and counsel. Uncle John always tolerated things from me that he would never have from others [AND THAT IS THE TRUTH!], but Uncle John and I had a bond that lasted my entire life. We each understood that nothing was the same after March of 1947 in that special part of our hearts [and that is also the truth—my father worshipped your grandfather], and we always cut each other slack because of it. I loved Uncle John with my whole heart…he spoiled me as a child, and treated me as an equal when I reached adulthood. My eyes are blinded with tears…tears of love for a great man who was the survivor of this generation of Adams’s.

To Chris…I offer this from “Hamlet”:

“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance, pray, love, remember:
And there’s pansies…that for thoughts…there fennel for you, and Columbines. There’s a daisy; I would give you some violets, but
They withered all when my father died.
They say he made a good end.”