Thank you for being here today.
I want to quickly thank everyone in our large, loving community who have helped us in so many ways over the past weeks. Your help, your conversation, your laughs, and your hugs have kept our family strong during this time of grief.
John McJingjong. What did you call him? Dad? Brother? Papa? Uncle Bill? Billy? Farmer Bill, Wild Bill? Slick Willy? Something else? He was called so many things by so many people. I was lucky enough to be his friend and he was JINGO to me and others.
The void created by the sudden death of someone as beloved as McJingjong is still hard to grasp. He was someone we took for granted would be around for much longer. His laughs, his yelling, his help … I can still see his smile and thumbs up.
He understood the importance of being outdoors and passing on knowledge from the land. All you had to do was show some interest and his face would light up and he would start talking your head off.
Even a daily, seemingly mundane topic was something he could discuss at length until you found yourself 30 minutes late for whatever it is you were doing. “Thanks! But I really gotta run now!” These interactions were valued equally by Jingo. He sincerely wanted to know how your day was going and if he could help in any way.
This is uncommon in our “busy-busy” culture nowadays, but he knew these moments were the gold nuggets of life.
R I P, Jingo
