Uncle George

I got the news this morning that yet another one of my relatives has passed away. My Uncle George is the second of my relatives to pass away in the last 4 1/2 months. It wasn't completely unexpected as he has been on oxygen for some time now and had a hard time getting around his house lately. We will say a final goodbye to him later this week.

My mom had been going up to visit him almost every other weekend for the last 6-9 months to help him out. Uncle George was the oldest of my mom's siblings and was in his mid-80s. Unfortunately, I didn't get to know him much over the years. I only saw him a few times growing up. I'm not sure exactly why...there wasn't any animosity between him and my mom. I think the fact that he was grown and out of the house when my mom was born and the age difference played a huge part in that.

Over the last couple of months, I had the opportunity to go up to his house with my mom to visit him. He lived in a small, rundown house on a huge lot in Garden Valley, which is about 3 hours north of my house. He and his wife, Jenny, made their home there many, many years ago and were very well known in their town. The park across the street from their house is even dedicated to them and there is a plaque there with their names on it. They were very involved in their community. Jenny passed away several years ago from cancer.

I'm so glad that I was able to see him a few more times before he passed. He was unlike anyone else I had ever met. He was bossy, stubborn and LOVED to give my mom and my aunt a hard time, even though he meant well and loved them a lot. The hankerchiefs had to be folded just right, you had to sit in just the right spot on his couch and you had to follow his directions exactly when dealing with the fireplace. He was pretty hard on the outside and a bit softer on the inside. He loved his milkshakes and sandwiches from the deli down the street from his house. He was a really interesting fellow. I know he'll be missed a lot by his community and his family.