J.J.J.

November 5, 1957 – October 28, 2018

I have known J.J.J. almost as long as I have lived in <Hometown>. I remember him back in high school and at <Home Parish> Catholic Church in the early to mid 70’s but I did not really get to know him well until we started metal detecting Civil War camps together along with Joe Troy in the very early 80’s. For years we were a three man Civil War relic hunting team that achieved great results. At some point in the early 2000’s J.J.J. slowed down and did not hunt as often as before. In 2004 I moved to the Emmitsburg, Maryland area and my hunting slowed down considerably. I returned in 2009 and Joe and I continued to relic hunt until he moved to Murrells Inlet, South Carolina in 2015. I continue to relic hunt on a regular basis but it’s not the same as it was before. The reason I am writing this paper is because despite J.J.J.’s lack of active participation in the church throughout much of his adult life he did have a spiritual awakening and did make attempts to return to the Catholic Church before his death on October 28, 2018. I know this to be true because I witnessed these events towards the end of J.J.J.’s life. What amazed me the most was the fact that many of the events with J.J.J. were surrounded by the events that I have been describing for years with the numbers 13, 33 and 333 that began with me in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church during the time of the apparitions of The Virgin Mary. This told me that Our Lady was present and preparing J.J.J. for whatever God’s plan was for him and my part was to pray for him. I will try to describe to the best of my ability, using my notes from the past several years the events leading up to J.J.J.’s death.

Friday June 6, 2014

It has been at least 5 years since J.J.J. and I have metal detected together. He called and wanted to go digging but did not have a good place to go. I told J.J.J. that I had a spot near Cedar Mountain and I was sure we would at least find some Civil War bullets there. We did go and both of us found Civil War relics. It was a very hot day and J.J.J. took off his shirt. It was then I noticed a golf ball size lump coming out of the lower side of J.J.J.’s neck. It shocked me and my very first thought when I saw it was cancer.

I asked J.J.J. about it and he said it was just a goiter. I asked him if he had been to a doctor and he said no. I told J.J.J. that he needed to go to the doctor and get it checked out and not to waste any time doing so. He said “I will”. A few weeks later J.J.J. called and said the doctors diagnosed him with Lymphoma cancer and he was going to have surgery followed by radiation. From that time up until the day of his death J.J.J. was in and out of the hospital for about the next four years.

Times passed and I did not hear a lot from J.J.J. except for an occasional phone call once in a while. Occasionally he would stop by the house and just sit around and talk for an hour or so. During this time he would describe what he has been going through and it was not pleasant.

Wednesday January 31, 2018

I was sitting at my kitchen table. I don’t remember what I was doing when my cell phone rang. I walked over the phone and noticed the display said it was J.J.J. calling and the time on the display was 3:13. I answered the phone and J.J.J. said to open the door because he was sitting in my driveway. I opened the door and J.J.J. came in. We sat around and talked for a while then he said he would like to go downstairs and look at some Civil War relics. We went down stairs and looked at some of the relics we have dug together in years past. After J.J.J. had his fill of looking at Civil War relics he said something to me that shocked me. He said “I did not really come here to look at Civil War relics. I was wondering if you and S.C.C. would mind it I went to mass with you. I told J.J.J. that we would love to have him join us. He said I might not be able to go all the time because sometimes I am so sick from the chemotherapy that I can’t even get out of bed. I told J.J.J. to try to join us whenever possible. He thanked me and left. After J.J.J. left my mind went straight back to when J.J.J. called my cell phone from my driveway a little more than an hour ago and the time was 3:13.

Saturday February 10, 2018

J.J.J. called and said he would like to go to mass tomorrow. I told J.J.J. that we were planning on going to the 5 PM mass at <Home Parish>. He said that would be fine and he was feeling somewhat better and he would meet us there in the parking lot. S.C.C. and I arrived at <Home Parish> and J.J.J. was already there waiting for us. J.J.J. said this would be his first mass in about 30 years. Fr. M. M. was the celebrant at that mass. After mass we all went out to eat at IHOP for my mother’s 88^th birthday. After we finished eating we left and J.J.J. thanked S.C.C. and I for going to mass with him.

Friday September 14, 2018

J.J.J. asked if I could drive him to a doctor’s appointment in Warrenton today. I told him I would do it. It was sad to see how much weight J.J.J. had lost and he could no longer walk on his own. I had to push him in a wheel chair. After the doctor’s appointment we rode back to <Hometown>. When we arrived at J.J.J.’s house I talked to J.J.J. about sin and the need for confession. J.J.J. was a little surprised by this because he actually said I don’t think I have sinned. He said he had not killed anybody. I then asked him if he had ever taken God’s name in vain or done this or that and he responded “Yes” so I said then you have sinned and need to go to confession. J.J.J. then said “I never knew that those things were sins. Thanks for telling me. Now I know.” I then left and as I walked out the door I glanced at my watch and the time was 3:33.

 Monday October 29, 2018

I was out metal detecting a Civil War camp in Remington. I had just found and dug out a fire pit where I found a bunch of broken Civil War period bottles. My phone rang and I thought it was J.J.J. because his name appeared on the display. Actually it was J.J.J.’s friend Glen D. calling from J.J.J.’s cell phone informing me that J.J.J. died at UVA hospital yesterday the 28th. When we hung up I called Joe Troy in South Carolina and informed him of J.J.J.’s death. We hung up and the time was 4:33.

Tuesday October 30, 2018

I went digging today to finish digging out the fire pit I found yesterday. SUDDENLY I felt the urge to stop what I was doing and pray the rosary for J.J.J.. I prayed the Joyful Mysteries and glanced at my watch as I began and the time was 3:13. I completed the rosary and looked again and this time it was 3:33.

Thursday November 1, 2018

I needed to ride into town for something and without regard for the time I stopped at <Home Parish> to pray a rosary for J.J.J.. I prayed the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous and never glanced at my watch until I finished and kissed the crucifix and the time was 1:13:33. Later Joe and Jeanette Troy arrived at our house for J.J.J.’s viewing and they pulled in our driveway and the time was 3:33. We went to the viewing at Founds and Sons and when we arrived the odometer on the car was 13.3

Wednesday November 7, 2018

J.J.J.’s funeral was postponed from Nov 2nd to the 7^th for unsure reasons. I arrived at Founds and Sons and I was asked to be a pallbearer. I was a little early so I sat back in the rear right corner and prayed another rosary for J.J.J.. I glanced at my watch as I began and the time was 1:33:00. Father K.W. was the priest and did a wonderful job. Later in the evening S.C.C. and I sat down in the kitchen and prayed the Sorrowful mysteries for J.J.J. and when we finished the time was 7:13:33. I then went downstairs and completed the rosary for J.J.J. by praying the Glorious and Luminous. I looked at my watch when I finished and the time was 8:13:13.

R.C.

Dec. 28, 2018

9:33 PM