All About Uncle Bob
Tomorrow a good man will be buried, my Uncle Bob. He was an uncle I acquired as a pre-teen, when my mother married his brother-in-law and immediately gained my sister and I a passel of relatives, some of whom didn't take too readily to kids that weren't blood kin. Uncle Bob was never like that, as I recall, but always a jolly party host, making sure everyone was having a good time, from the old biddies to the young uns. He was a great joker with a ready smile, ready to kid anyone nearby, most often his elegant wife, Amy.
Their house (in the small town where most of my dad's family came from) was magical for a city kid, with climbable trees in the backyard and lots of space to run. I remember a stream at the bottom of the garden, but maybe that's just wishful thinking. At any rate, I remember Uncle Bob as a good man.
He looks a bit serious in this picture, but rest assured he was just biding his time until the next wisecrack opportunity.
Comments
Lovely tribute to Uncle Bob, Lynda.
Sorry you couldn't make the funeral which was very moving with Bob's 'favourite son-lin-law' Ted Slkumskie giving a heartwarming eulogy of an inlaw I acquired and enjoyed.
He had a nickname for everyone, calling my brother-in-law Mel 'Cueball' because of his bald head and the local barber Snipper Jim. Bob's sense of humour lifted many a family gathering and I remember clearly my welcome to the family at an Arran Lake picnic where his arm circled my waist and he joshed me as he did everyone. Memories abound of our visits to Pointe au Baril with Amy and , of course, Casey, a hound that was a great hunter. I called Bob 'Griz' as he was like a big Grizzly teddybear. The fun trips on the Trelspar will also live on in my memory.
God Bless Bob and men like him. We need more of them.
Sincerely,
Mum
Posted by: Mum | November 22, 2004 10:26 PM