We celebrated Grandma’s birthday yesterday. It was a big deal. Lot of people. Five generations. It was good to see family again. You all know how it goes. Families tend to be dispersed and busy with their lives so funerals and weddings tend to draw them from afar. So we were able to celebrate Grandma’s…
Thaddeus “Teddy” Corwin. It’s kind of surprising that that’s the only photo I have of Teddy, considering I’ve known him since, like, 1989. And he sent or gave me that one. Teddy was 35 and died of Leukemia on November 23rd. Leukemia and no health insurance. I hadn’t seen him in a long while. Not…
Even though he didn’t like it, I still think of him as Little Junie. The juniors in our family are called Junie. So if you’re a third, well … Little Junie. He is my cousin; my mother’s brother’s son. He was definitely different than a lot of the family in that he was outgoing and…
Felisa was my stepmother. She was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer a few months ago and wasn’t responding to chemotherapy. Back in October of 2010, when my father passed away, I saw Felisa for the first time in about ten years at a small family meeting where my big sister was letting the family know…
Inside: The mid-way check point; Stop the clock – Time out, ref; Where I’m failing miserably; Cheer up, emo dude; Underground Athlete Year 2 – Ready Player One The Average Lifespan The average lifespan for African American men is 70 years. That’s about 6 years longer than my grandfather and father lived. But let’s call…
My sister left a message late last night. I saw/listened when I woke up this morning. I didn’t expect it to be good news but man. Grandma Young, my father’s mother passed away yesterday. The last two times I saw Grandma were at Aunt Norma’s funeral back in March and my dad’s funeral (and funeral…
Today is Sunday, October 2nd, 2011. It would have been my father’s 65th birthday. He died last year, October 17, 2010. He turned 64 in a persistent vegetative state. I wrote this: Rest in Peace, Arthur G. Young About this time last year, my big sister and I had given the doctors permission to remove our dad…
This is going to be short. But I wanted to say something. I hadn’t seen Aunt Norma for years until my dad went to the emergency room, unresponsive, last August (2010). If you don’t have an Aunt Norma in your family, you missed out. She was sweet — she’d address all of us kids…
One more. I wouldn’t call it a back rub night. It’s more of a fall asleep with your head in someone’s lap night. At first I thought this was strange, but I’m getting used to the idea. The funeral home automatically sets up memorial pages for the family: http://www.marchfh.com/obituaries/Arthur-Young/ I uploaded a few photos and…
Please, if you’re moved to do so, feel free to leave a few words for the family. Funeral homes have web pages now?? Whether it’s a memory or if you just want to offer consolation. http://www.marchfh.com/obituaries/Arthur-Young/#/TributeWall Donald. My father’s father’s name is Donald. I’m still processing. That means more writing. My big sister, Tracey —…
