Relatively Speaking Blog

My maternal Uncle Jack was a large man in size and presence with a booming voice; he was a Marine after all. But what I remember most about him was his big persona; you knew when he came into a room. Yet he was good natured with a jovial disposition. He moved out of Pennsylvania before I was born, but he visited every couple of years, which gave me a chance to become familiar with him while growing up. My first memory of him was when I was very young and Jack and his family stopped by to visit us. I don’t recall the details except excitement around his arrival and departure, most likely because we knew it would be some time before his next visit.

Jack, named John Allen, was the son of William and Marjorie Ludwick and October 4, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of his birth in Youngwood, PA. He grew up and lived much of his early adulthood in or around the vicinity of his native town. After his grandfather Alpheus Ludwick died, he sometimes stayed with his grandmother and Aunt Pearl who lived down the street from his parents. He attended Youngwood schools completing the 11th grade. In 1940 Jack worked as a carpenter for a construction company and lived with his parents on South 5th street.

On January 19, 1942, one month after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II, Jack enlisted in the Marines for active service before it was even required to register. He was stationed in the South Pacific from November 4, 1942 to March 21, 1944. Jack saw combat against Japanese troops in the Solomon Islands, participating in military campaigns in Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and New Georgia. In his later years when he had his knee replaced, Jack mentioned he had some shrapnel in his knee, evidently from one of these battles.

Jack attained the rank of Sergeant in Marine Service Squadron 24, and he was honorably discharged on October 16, 1945 in San Diego CA. Later he re-enlisted and served an additional conscription from October 15, 1947 until May 20, 1950. Between 1947 and 1949 he was stationed near his hometown in Pittsburgh PA, New Castle PA and Wheeling WV where he was a recruiter. During his time in Wheeling he met Patricia Joyce Thompson, daughter of Earl and Nellie Thompson, and they were married on April 2, 1949 by Rev. Thomas N. UIllom in Valley Grove, a community outside of Wheeling WV.

Jack was stationed in Cherry Point NC in 1950 when he was again discharged from the service. He returned to Westmoreland County where several of his children were born during the 1950s. Then in the early 1960s he moved to South Carolina and attended Bob Jones University. After graduating Jack followed in his Aunt Pearl’s footsteps and became a traveling evangelical preacher. Over the years he resided in a variety of places in New York and Pennsylvania.

Early in his career Jack lived on a farm around Oswego NY. My family took a summer vacation with my grandmother to visit Jack and his family on this farm for a couple of days when I was about 5 years old. I have faint recollections of the kitchen and the bedroom where I slept. My most vivid memory of that trip was the pastures; they seemed huge, as did the cows that roamed them. For me the cows were disconcerting, but my brother along with my older cousins enjoyed feeding them from a wagon. Trying to escape the herd, I ran toward the exit, but I found my nemesis—the electric fence. It was as high as my forehead, and in my excitement to escape the cows, I ended up flat on my back during my exodus when I hit the electric fence and was jolted to the ground. This happened a few times and I think Jack turned off the electric fence for the remainder of our visit for my own protection.

In the mid-1970s Jack landed in Mt. Carmel PA as a pastor for the Baptist Church of the Open Door. The congregation held services in a storefront until Jack led an effort to build a proper church. With limited funds, he drew up plans for the church rather than hire an architect. With the help of other volunteers Jack did much of the electrical wiring, plumbing and carpentry labor, skills he acquired when working in construction after high school.

By the late 1980s Jack took a position preaching for the Tabernacle Baptism Church in Rockwood, Somerset County, PA. With the closer proximity he visited more frequently, and my grandmother lived with him for one year in 1991. Once a month I travelled to Somerset County to take my grandmother out to eat. When I arrived to pick her up, I usually got to visit with Jack before my grandmother and I went out. We would chat about daily items, family, and sometimes he might tell a story. Once my grandmother asked him why he drove so fast. Without a beat, he wryly replied, “a preacher has to stay one step ahead of the devil.”

In 2004, in honor of Jack and Pat’s 55th anniversary, their children held a surprise party for them. My mother, sister and I were in attendance to help celebrate along with their children and a few grandchildren. They were escorted by a friend into the dining room where we were hidden and when we exclaimed “Happy Anniversary”, the look on their faces was utter surprise. It was a pleasure to be there to celebrate the occasion with them and to catch up with my cousins whom I had not seen for some time. I am grateful that I was able to go; I believe that was the last time that I saw my Uncle Jack.

Jack’s stature, as a former Marine, gave the perception that he was indestructible. He had faced the challenges in his life with strength and faith and came out on top. Although always a fighter, when he was diagnosed with cancer, his body sadly could not win that battle. He died May 15, 2006 in Harrisburg PA, at the age of 85, having lived a long life of service to his god and his country. He left behind his widow Pat, six children, 17 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

In the years before his death when Jack visited my mother, they always reminisced and laughed about old times. I had wanted to videotape them together talking about their experiences growing up to preserve those stories. Unfortunately that never came to pass. I wish I would have jotted down some of the topics they spoke about since now much of their conversations are a blur. Although I might not remember the specifics of the stories he told, I can never forget the magnanimous, larger than life personality of my Uncle Jack.