This evening, I received a call from my mother that my great-uncle Charles passed away this morning in Medina, Ohio. He lived to be 96, just missing his 97th birthday by a few months. He was born Charles Everett Winkelmann on October 31, 1911 in West Alexandria, Ohio and was the first of twelve children, two of whom died in infancy. Only this evening, upon hearing of his passing, did I learn that he had been diagnosed with cancer of some sort several months ago. His daughters never told the rest of the family. Uncle Charles was the patriarch of our extended family and was much loved by everyone. He has always been a personal favorite of mine; I always looked forward to seeing him at our family reunions every August. He was always kind, gentle, and happy. Our next family reunion is next Sunday, but as I live a 1000 miles away, I won't be able to attend or pay my respects to a much-loved uncle.
In his long life, he endured plenty of loss: his parents, two wives and a close companion, and six siblings, but he never lost his faith in God. He never forgot where he came from. He leaves behind three daughters, three grandchildren, and 2-3 great-grandchildren. He now passes the torch to my grandfather as the eldest member of our family, who is now 88 years old. So, Uncle Charles, a Celtic blessing for you:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
May the rain fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Go mbeannai Dia duit (May God Bless You).
2 comments:
Pamela,
I'm very sorry to hear of your loss. I once read that every person is a world, and when they die, a whole world dies with them. I hope you remember him fondly and cherish the sweet moments.
Rita
Rita,
Thank you. I will miss him a great deal. I didn't get to see him but once or twice a year, but each opportunity was a real pleasure. I'm just glad that he was able to have a long and healthy life until now.
My mother sent me an obituary from the Dayton Daily News today. It demonstrated a world of charity and public service throughout his lifetime. He was a very good man - unpretentious and caring.
That every person is a world reminds me of a scene in the film, "Schindler's List." In "Schindler's List," upon the end of the war and the release of the prisoners, one of the prisoner's consoles Schindler by telling him that when you save the life of one person, you save the world. There's a lot of truth in that statement.
Pamela
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