Floral Creations

Mom, Aunt Cynthia, and Aunt Debbie made sooo many floral arrangements for Big Daddy's funeral. They were all so beautiful. I guess that's how Mom copes with the death of a loved one. She made a lot of arrangements for Wayne's funeral too but I really think they may have gone overboard this time! Someone told me to just sit back and let them do it so I did. Gamaw's carport looked like a flower shop that night!

Ashley's Tribute to Big Daddy

Kenneth Wayne Muecke
You may recognize him as K.W., Kenny, Kenny Wayne, Uncle Kenny, Mickey, Mr. Muecke, Daddy, and other names we can’t even mention, but most of all we all know him as the one and only… Big Daddy. Many say “they broke the mold when they made him” which is true. Big Daddy was a character, a prankster, a joker, and everyone knew his jokes and tricks. there was the Mongoose, the Moose Horn, the card tricks, the bug in the ice cube, the Jackalope, the Moon Dog and ‘ScareMo!’ just to name a few. Everyone’s got a story to tell of his practical jokes.
Now, Big Daddy was also a bit of a show off. He made sure everyone knew about his newest toys and gadgets and most of you, at one point in time, got to take the Cadillac out for a spin, but this is only because he was so proud of what he had and he worked so hard to get where he was. What he was most proud of in this world was his family. He had his beautiful wife, Norma, of 54 years, his children, Wayne, Penni, Johnny, Kitty, Greg, and Debbie, and he had so many grandkids and great grandkids… we’re still counting. He loved all of his babies to the depths of his heart. He loved each and every one of them so deeply that he would give anything just to see them smile. All of the kids loved Big Daddy and remembered him for his slobbery kisses. Rani remembers helping him pick and water his fruit, spending the night and sleeping “right in the middle” with Gamaw and Big Daddy. She and Olivia would lay out his clothes before he took a bath and when he shaved, the girls would put shaving cream on their face and sit in the mirror with him, pretending to shave with him. Dylan remembers his most treasured moment as being when Big Daddy gave him a pocket watch that belonged to his great grandfather, Louis John Muecke. Many of the grandkids remember Big Daddy for teaching him how to peel and eat crawfish, they loved his jokes and magic tricks and most of all they remember him for always being happy. At every gathering, yo could see the pride on his face while he sat back looking at his abundant family and he knew he was the source of why the house was so full of love.
He was a man who loved unconditionally; everyone was welcome in his home. He didn’t care who you were or what your shortcomings were, he took you in and made you family. He wouldn’t let you leave empty-handed. He made sure you were going to leave with a full belly, a full heart, and at least a bag of fruit or some leftovers. This man did not take ‘no’ for an answer. Big Daddy also loved his fruit. He watered his fruit, picked his fruit, and counted his fruit one by one. At any given time, he would tell you exactly how many fruits he had. He grew lemons the size of grapefruits, limes, oranges, peppers… and his most prized fruit… the persimmon.
For the last year or so Big Daddy had suffered from tremendous back pain. Although, to look at him you could barely tell. He was a stubborn man and he was not going to let pain stand in his way of living life to the fullest. His love for Norma and his kids is what kept him going strong. He still attended all the family gatherings, birthday parties, boils, and their extra curricular activities despite the pain. Bob Bauer had a story to tell about a hunting trip they went on together years ago. “ It was a cold winter in Colorado and it was Kenneth’s first time hunting so we stopped on the way to buy him a pair of boots. When he tried on his normal size, they were just too tight on him, so he tried on the next size up and they were way too big. He didn’t want to risk wearing the bigger size and having trouble walking and getting blisters so he went with the smaller size. For the next ten days, Kenneth wore the boots around and they really hurt his feet. When we got back home he left the boots in his closet until the next year. And when he went to try the boots on again, he noticed those tight boots had newspaper stuffed in the toe of each boot. When he tried the boots on after pulling out the paper, they fit perfectly and the pain was gone.” So what we need to think about is that Big Daddy’s pain is gone and he continues to live through all of us, for he will always be known as a legend.

Compiled by Ashley Zamorano, granddaughter

Big Daddy - The Loss of a Legend

It is with great sadness that I tell you Big Daddy passed away last week. Most of you reading this already know. And I know I'm about a week late on getting this news in the blog but the time since his death has gone by so quickly. The funeral director said 'planning a funeral is like planning a wedding in two days.' Gamaw is doing well but she has had many loved ones with her this whole time. She says she's taking it one day at a time. I know it will be very difficult once everyone goes home and the last rose petal falls to the floor. Big Daddy suffered complications from the back surgery. We all knew it was risky but he said he just couldn't live in pain any longer and now he is pain-free and enjoying the company of Wayne, I'm sure.

The ceremony was beautiful but, in my opinion, too sad. He would have wanted a celebration like what you see on the Zatarain's commercial... beads and bras flying through the air, saxophone playing, confetti... the works.

Thanks for all your prayers, love, and support. He will be deeply missed by us all. Tomorrow I will post an essay that Ashley wrote about him. It's awesome.

Big Daddy's hospital status

The latest update of Big Daddy's hospital status is that he is doing well. If you didn't know, he had a back fusion operation and is now recovering in Clear Lake Rehabilitation facility on Medical Center Blvd. The transition from hospital to facility was rough on him. His blood pressure had dropped and he was very 'loopy'. But I think a lot of that had to do with the medication they were giving him. That has all been adjusted now and he is doing well. Yesterday he almost got into his bed all by himself. He will most likely be there for a few weeks since is was such a major surgery but we are looking forward to his homecoming!