Monday, May 4, 2015
Dearest Aunt Lee, I don't know how to tell you the sorrow I had upon learning from Jim of Uncle Joe's passing. I wrote Jim a few quick lines but I did not really get express what I felt. Uncle Joe left a lasting impression on me from the moment I remember meeting him and everyone as a matter of fact when we came to visit in 1972. Hard to explain but I have such clear memories of our short stay in Olean. I remember his warmth and charming humour. I remember when we out to Century (the catalogue store) to purchase the croquet set we played the backyard, I remember he taking Jim and I to play golf on the Castle greens and he telling me to keep my eyes on the ball.... And then he would say " you lifted your head!" I had never played cricket, I certainly never played golf before , and still today when I don't keep my eyes on the ball and lift my head, I think of him. I remember being with him when he was lighting the BBQ pit and he told to be safe and stand at a distance! I hear his words everytime I light my BBQ. I remember him teaching some words in French I didn't even know like "quincaillerie" which means hardware store. I remember his ability to put together poems about any and all situations. Most of all I remember the peaceful serenity of his presence, and the love in his eyes when he looked at you. There is an expression that reads something like this, "We live in the present, we dream of the future , we learn from our past". We all have learned from Uncle Joe, we will miss him but never forget him.
