I took these photographs knowing this day would come. The day I would write about attending his service. Gail, his wife, a friend and client of mine, talked to me about it for months. She finally got the entire family together and I was scheduled to go to her house to photograph the family. Torrential rains plagued Waxahachie that day. To this day, I can't believe that I decided to drive through the entrance of her neighborhood which had flooded and appeared to be about thigh deep in water (but I tend to exaggerate these things). We were supposed to have the session outside in Gail's beautiful garden. I walked up to her house barefoot, sandals in hand, ankle deep in water at her front door. We moved couches, table, books, decorations and transformed her living room in a matter of minutes. I captured Jack that day with his family.
I overheard someone saying tonight, he fought cancer for over 30 years. What a long and brave fight. In his obituary, Gail, the literary buff that she is (I know this because I moved many books that day), chose one of my favorite quotes.
"He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week, My Sunday rest, My noon, My midnight, My talk, My song...."
When I walked into the room tonight, where Jack was being remembered - photographs from his life were everywhere. Though I had only known him a few months, through his pictures I was able to know him through his lifetime.
I love photographs........
To Gail and her family... my sincerest condolences.
