Feb. 16, 2010 ~ The last one
He was the last uncle, the youngest of my Dad's brothers. He passed away this morning, at the age of 90. A good long life. His last years, though, had not been so good, his last days spent in pain, so his passing is a blessing. It was his time. Aunt Harriet passed in December, so now there are only cousins, two brothers. I talked with one of the cousins tonight. He'd left a long message on the answering machine, and I'd listened to it twice, not only for the news, but to hear his voice again. It had been too long. Brilliant me, accidentally deleted the message. I called him back, though, and we talked a long while. It is impossible to believe that he will be 60 next year. He was the older cousin, my brother's age. His younger brothers (twins) and I were closer in age and as children were together often. As we spoke tonight, I was... well, taken... with the sound of his voice. It's a voice I've seldom heard since childhood, and it reminds me of those long ago days. Family get-togethers, his father's laughter, innocence. Almost.
Uncle was a career military man who never married. No children, just nieces and nephews. He came to stay with us sometimes when he was on leave. He was a quiet man but had a lot of interesting stories to tell if you could get him talking. He had dementia these last years so the stories or even the words didn't come as often. He was a good man. He will be missed.
Vaya con Dios.
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