My Uncle Joe, my dad’s brother, passed away on Sunday morning. He lived a remarkable life. He and his family have always been welcoming and generous to me and to my family. Tonight I am posting a photograph from July of 2008. It is of my youngest daughter, Margarita, my mom, and my Uncle Joe. It was taken on our way back from a few days up at Lake St. Germain in northern Wisconsin, a place that he has visited with his family for the past 50 years. It is not a great picture of my Uncle Joe, (I wish I could of captured more of him) but I think it captures who he was. Someone who waited for others, someone who always held the door, and someone who always went out of his way to make others feel welcome… and someone who always tipped the busboy (that is a family joke). He took care of people. He made them feel special, and cared for them
On that trip my Uncle Joe and Aunt Pam shared many stories of their early life and how they met. I learned quite a bit about my family and was very happy to be able to share that trip with them and my daughter. I am thankful for the opportunity to spend that time with them.
I can’t be there on Wednesday for his service and to properly say goodbye to him, or to express to his family how much he means to me, but if I was there, I would thank his family for providing me with such a great man, such a thoughtful and caring man, to aspire to be like.
My thoughts tonight are with my Aunt Pam, my cousins, Bob, MaryJo, Thomas, and Margaret and their extended families. Joe was a great man, and these words don’t do justice to the mark he made on the world.
Thank you Uncle Joe…