Ob is Summer's uncle, who was married to May. He looks like a scarecrow — tall and thin. Because May always made him feel special, Ob never felt bad about being a "disabled Navy man" (he has arthritis). Ob is an artist. He makes unusual whirligigs — he and May call them The Mysteries. They are his interpretation of abstract ideas or things, such as heaven, love, dreams, fire, or death. Summer describes Ob as "a deep thinker . . . [who] was often getting revelations." May's acceptance and appreciation of Ob's eccentricities gave him the confidence to be himself and to be a "free thinker."
Ob deals with May's death by sitting in his old Chevy all night. He is devastated. He loved May as much as a person can love another, and he doesn't know how to live without her. One day shortly after her death, Ob has a revelation that May is with them, that her spirit is visiting Summer and Ob. He becomes frustrated and sad when he doesn't feel her presence again.
Cletus Underwood, a classmate of Summer's who is quite unique (Summer thinks he is a lunatic), begins to visit Ob and Summer frequently. Ob likes Cletus and seems to be fascinated by him. Cletus' visits and stories distract Ob from his grief and Cletus listens to Ob without judging him or making comments. Unknowingly, Cletus is allowing Ob to grieve for May in his own way.
Ob becomes quite depressed (a normal part of the grieving process). He doesn't get out of bed one morning, and when he does get up, he stays in his pajamas all day, crying in front of Summer — all behaviors that are unusual for Ob.
