Last week I joined our extended “family” in saying goodbye to a 96-year-old patriarch of not only his own family, but also ours.

Gerald McLendon spent nearly as much time influencing my life as God, but with a much closer view. While I still rested in the womb of my mother, this man met her in the Gretna United Methodist Church nursery where she sat with my older sister. He sat with his youngest daughter because neither would stay there alone without crying. The two became friends and then the families meshed.

First let me explain about my father, he was a provider and I love him deeper the wiser I become. I never doubted his love for us but he showed it in material ways. As young children he doted on us as much as he could, absent most of our lives, working three to six months a stretch on oil wells. He only came home a day or two when he could squeeze it in. Most of that time was spent sleeping or talking on the phone, often with loud cursing, leaving us too soon to return to work.

One thing we did as a family grew out of our relationship with the McLendons. After I turned 7 we moved across town to a different church, further away from the McLendons, so we had to make a special effort for fun times. We started barbecuing at one house or the other. Mr. Gerald cooked the best non-barbecue sauced chicken I’ve ever tasted.

For some reason, when the five children got together, laughter always erupted. I can’t remember ever laughing as much or as hard as we did with them in those days.

Then Mrs. Irene McLendon decided she wanted to learn to cha-cha, a popular dance at the time. Mr. Gerald worked for the Louisiana Power and Light Co. and had started fishing at the LPL camp, Lapolico, at Lake Bruin. The plan was set to go to Lapolico, move the furniture from the center dining area and learn to cha-cha. Watching them through the wire mesh of the huge fan from the girl’s side dorm made us laugh — again.

Lapolico became our annual family trip for 50 years. One of the last trips was made to hang a sign on a cedar tree at the foot of the fishing pier. It acknowledged Mr. Gerald and his 60 years of fishing there, sharing memories with others. He retired as executive vice president and chief operating officer of LPL.

I read in his obituary with comprehension for the first time that he was a civil engineer, surveyor and attended Harvard Business School, among others. He served on chambers, banks and many organizational boards, was a member of many clubs and after retirement served for 12 years as mayor in his hometown of Oak Ridge. That part I knew — because of laughter, again. His daughter made up hats that said “McLendon for Mayor.” He was one of the few healthy men in a town made up predominantly of widows. Did I mention he was good looking? He was a shoe-in.

He was a father, grandfather, great-grandfather and husband to his bride of 73 years, married in haste during a short furlough from the U.S. Navy during World War II. Mr. Gerald’s steadfastness was passed along to his children and grandchildren, a witness to this day of commitment and best practiced life skills. His conversational ability to listen and comment on any subject was evidence of his intelligence.

My joy in saying goodbye is in picturing the four of them reunited — mom, dad, Mr. Gerald and Mrs. Irene — at Lapolico on the porch, rocking, my dad asking sage advice from “Gerald” and Mrs. Irene and mom discussing life from a household, education, medical or faith perspective.

I can’t think of a better picture of heaven than at a fishing camp with best friends, can you?

Vicky Branton is the Teche Life Editor at The Daily Iberian.