Boo-Boo

Dear Linda and family,

I am so sorry to hear of Lincoln's passing. I would like to share a few memories of him.

Since I was the "baby" of our family, I pretty much grew up without babies to love until my first little nephew arrived. Lincoln was such a cute baby. He had such energy and both Ruth and I loved to hold him and play with him at every opportunity. I was 12 years old when he was born, and I would have liked to spend every spare moment with him.

When our brother Lincoln was killed, Ruth and I found that the mention of his name brought tears of sadness to our mother's eyes. So we never spoke of him. When Lincoln Robin Sherwood was born, we called him Boo-Boo.

I remember being on a trip with Mom and Dad, going to Kamas, Utah to visit
Aunt Thora. We spent the night in a motel in Price, Utah, and I can still see the scene in my mind's eye. We were lying in bed and each of us voiced the same thought, "We wish Boo-Boo were right here between us." That pretty much described how we felt about Link. I don't remember how long we called him Boo-Boo, but eventually, the name Lincoln came to represent a joyful love for a grandson to Pammy and Granddad.

Then along came Kathy and Kim, who were objects of the same adoration that we had for Link.

I was a senior in high school when Gleason and Alma died. The children were staying with Nanny and Gramp when the accident occurred. It took months to sort out the arrangement of who would raise the children, since both sets of grandparents wanted to have them.

I was at college when the arrangements were made, so I don't remember much about
that. I do remember coming home for Christmas in one of those early years. Link must have been about six or seven. He had convinced Granddad that he needed a real rope so that he could practice roping. I thought, and expressed to Dad, that it was so close to Christmas, that it would be a better idea to let Santa Claus give it to him for Christmas. That suggestion fell on deaf ears. I don't know whether it was Lincoln's persuasiveness or Granddad's love for him, or both, but Link got his rope that very day.

I went back to college and life continued for the Sherwood Family. I graduated, got a job teaching in Utah, and got married, in that order, so I didn't really live in St. Johns after that.

Link and Kim grew up, as boys do. I became a mother with children of my own to care for. WE would make a trip nearly ever summer to visit and Pammy and Granddad would come up to visit us occasionally. On one of those trips Link had his head shaved. I guess he was going through a teen-age phase.

I remember hearing about the visit from "Father John", the priest from Ireland, who thought so much of Link, that he made a trip to Arizona to see him.

I remember your inviting our family to your house for breakfast one of those summer mornings as some of my children were about the same age as Mark and Melissa. I guess we never stayed long enough to get very well acquainted because we spent most of our time with Pammy and Granddad.

When you lived in Snowflake, I remember your hospitality when we came with short notice and got there while you were eating dinner. I remember your good home-made bread and fried tacos.

I especially appreciated the trip you and Link made to come and visit me on one of your trips to the University Hospital for Link's treatments. That was a special effort, I know, but I thank you for that memory.

I want you to know that I love you and will remember all of you in my prayers, as I have remembered Link all these months.

May the comfort of the Spirit be with all of you during the coming days and weeks.

Love,

Aunt Nin