Several years ago I discovered my uncle “Jack” had passed away. It’s amazing how time passes and you find that time should have been spent doing things that you simply did not do – like spending time with family. John Tweedie was the husband of my father’s sister.
Horse Shoe ~ John Tweedie, 85, died Friday, October 22, 2010 at his residence in Horseshoe, NC.
John “Jack” was born in Boston, MA on November 15, 1925 and was the son of the late John Malden Tweedie and Helen Jane Sawyer Tweedie. He was husband of 63 years to the late Madeline Wilkins who was his childhood sweetheart.
Mr. Tweedie was a Navy Radarman, second class entering at the age of 17 in January 11 of 1943 until February 17, 1946. He received the Purple Heart Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, the American Theater Medal, the European/African Theater Medal-3 stars, the Asiatic/Pacific Theatre Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. He served on the DE 426 Landsdale in Oran, Algiers. His ship was torpedoed by heavy German fighter action and was sunk. Most of the crew escaped. Jack was the last survivor off. All floated in oil-soaked water for four hours. Jack had given up his life preserver to another shipmate who was a poor swimmer. After their rescue, he was transferred to the Pacific, serving on the USS Mayo which was present during the signing of the Japan surrender ceremony.
I remember hearing stories of the sinking of his ship and being in the water. Concerns about sharks were mentioned and filled my imagination as a child. He – among several other adult men in my family – provided me fine examples to look up to.
that’s the worst thing about growing old for me, saying good by to old friends and family. we will all be together one day, until then i will continue to miss them. it was always good times, good friends and great advice and company. i truly miss those old people.
the mold has been broken. they don’t make people like that anymore, haven’t for years
No, they don’t make them like that anymore. Rest in peace Uncles Jack and Harry.
Harry was my grandfather’s younger brother. He only had a third-grade education, due to health problems, but he enlisted in the Navy right after Pearl Harbor. I don’t know if he wrote letters home, but all we knew in the after years was that they’d wanted to amputate most of a hand at one point. He was a musician, the kind who never learned to read music but could hear a song played once and then do it himself on a variety of instruments. Somehow, he convinced them to save his fingers. Anyway, I only learned recently that he’d spent 3 1/2 years on a mine sweeper, involved in some pretty dangerous actions in both Africa and the South Pacific.
He never married, having gotten a “Dear John” letter while he was gone, but he was the sweetest, most patient uncle we had. And he never talked about the things he’d seen.