04-12-2004, 01:58 PM
My uncle died yesterday. He's actually a great uncle...85 years old, brother to my grandmother who passed away over a decade ago. I remember him mostly back when i was a kid, where i'd stand there at my great-granparents house thinking money was dropping from the tree, it was because my great uncle was flinging coins over my head unbeknownst to me as my great-grandfather would shake the branches - and i'd think the money was dropping from the tree. I must have been 7 or 8 at the time...I still lament that the tree wasn't real to this day as I pay my bills.
My uncle had broken his hip. Just couldn't recover, and gave up. This is a guy who got past heart attacks, brain tumors, and a stroke, but it was a broken hip and his inability to heal up from it that did him in. He had recently asked his brother, our other great uncle, Leo, to come out to see him, b/c he didn't know how much longer he would make it. Leo, we saw just past monday eve for Passover dinner, and he couldn't get a flight till he was set up
with his own medication and medical stuff (he has his own health problems), to early May. Leo, of course, is very broken up and upset, missing seeing him before he passed away.
Jack, our uncle, was a loner. He seemed to march to his own beat, and lived out in San Diego. Last time I saw him must have been over 10 years ago, possibly longer. He had his own life there, and not much is known really, b/c he was so out of the loop. He was very set in his ways, and unlike Leo, who also marches to his own beat...Leo would be at family gatherings and be available and around time to time. He had his own thing, but also kept in touch. Jack, never. Only would hear 2nd hand if anything was going on. His last few years were very lonely...b/c we assumed that he had his own life in San Diego, but not so much. He did the same there too. Not very close with anyone. He died with kids who don't know he's the father, he died with very little people being connected, affected, or there for him.
He died...and when my mother told me today, it only made me sad in terms of the lesson and depth to how marching to his own beat so much that he pushed others away, was so ingrained, that when it was time and he needed others..not many were there at all. He had little impact, and effect on my current life, and moreover, he didn't have much to others as well. Kind of sad. Kind of depresses me. Put a blanket of murk on my day. It bothers me that he died so alone...that he simply could not connect with anyone anymore in his latter life. This was a dynamic and funny guy. A WW2 veteran. A bit of a maverick and very individual.
I don't know what it all means, but i wanted to share that.
My uncle had broken his hip. Just couldn't recover, and gave up. This is a guy who got past heart attacks, brain tumors, and a stroke, but it was a broken hip and his inability to heal up from it that did him in. He had recently asked his brother, our other great uncle, Leo, to come out to see him, b/c he didn't know how much longer he would make it. Leo, we saw just past monday eve for Passover dinner, and he couldn't get a flight till he was set up
with his own medication and medical stuff (he has his own health problems), to early May. Leo, of course, is very broken up and upset, missing seeing him before he passed away.
Jack, our uncle, was a loner. He seemed to march to his own beat, and lived out in San Diego. Last time I saw him must have been over 10 years ago, possibly longer. He had his own life there, and not much is known really, b/c he was so out of the loop. He was very set in his ways, and unlike Leo, who also marches to his own beat...Leo would be at family gatherings and be available and around time to time. He had his own thing, but also kept in touch. Jack, never. Only would hear 2nd hand if anything was going on. His last few years were very lonely...b/c we assumed that he had his own life in San Diego, but not so much. He did the same there too. Not very close with anyone. He died with kids who don't know he's the father, he died with very little people being connected, affected, or there for him.
He died...and when my mother told me today, it only made me sad in terms of the lesson and depth to how marching to his own beat so much that he pushed others away, was so ingrained, that when it was time and he needed others..not many were there at all. He had little impact, and effect on my current life, and moreover, he didn't have much to others as well. Kind of sad. Kind of depresses me. Put a blanket of murk on my day. It bothers me that he died so alone...that he simply could not connect with anyone anymore in his latter life. This was a dynamic and funny guy. A WW2 veteran. A bit of a maverick and very individual.
I don't know what it all means, but i wanted to share that.
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