My Uncle Bill

He was my father's oldest brother. He served in the Navy in World War II as a Quartermaster Second Class. You would ask him about the war and he would change the subject. He didn't want to talk about it. Nobody in that generation did. They didn't do anything extraordinary. They were just doing their jobs. Oh, once in awhile, he would tell us about times on the ship in the Pacific. He told us about the waves being so rough that you could stand at the back of the ship, look straightdown and see the front of the ship.

We used to call him 'Uncle Teeth'. He wore false teeth since I remember. When we were kids, he would do this thing for us where he would hit the top of his head and his teeth would fall down. Had us laughing. Because that's what he wanted to hear from us. Laughing.

My grandfather was a coal miner in western Pennsylvania. My father and his brothers and sisters were poor growing up. We would spend time around Easter to see my grandparents. I remember taking a bath in a tub. Not a bathtub. A tub. My grandmother would heat water on the stove and pour in a tub to take a bath. The next person would use the same water with a little more from the stove so as not to waste water. A different life that the one I was used to growing up in suburban Philadelphia. My uncle knew this so he would invite us to take a shower at his house. It is hard to believe to think about it now but this was a big deal for us. A shower!

He would also take us to the local VFW for a fish sandwich on Good Friday. We would look forward to that every year.

He worked at the same factory for 43 years. He was a big Pittsburgh Pirates fan and wouldn't miss a game on TV. In fact, he and my father took me (and my sisters and some cousins) to my first baseball game. Down at Forbes Field. The Pirates were playing the Mets that night.

There wasn't much to do in Connellsville. So, he would give me a job to do. I would have to roll cigarettes for him, my uncles and my grandfather. You would take cigarette paper and put some tobacco in between the sheets of paper. It would be in this little machine with a handle. Once the tobacco was in, you would push the handle forward and make the cigarette.

I hadn't been back to Connellsville in over 20 some odd years. I went to a family reunion and a flood of memories came back. The following year, I decided to the Yough River Half-marathon. After the race, I went to visit my uncle. Afterall, I knew he had a shower for me. He wasn't doing well then but he was happy to see me. We watched the Pirates on TV. He showed me his garden, something he was proud of. He loved that garden. Nearly killed him a couple of times as he would wander back there, fall and no one would know until they came around to see him and there he would be lying on the ground.

My uncle died yesterday. He died when I was out running. He had cancer. Fighting it for a few years. Last year, there was another family reunion because we knew we needed to see all of us together one last time. He was the patriarch of the family. We wanted to say our good-byes and remember him while he was still somewhat healthy.

When I found out yesterday, it was the day I dreaded the most. It was the beginning of an era. When that generation won't be with us for too much longer. There is nothing you can do about it. Except enjoy the moments you have with each other.

I will miss my uncle. I will miss his laughter. I will miss talking baseball with him. I will miss his house. I will especially miss his kindness. I know why people believe in heaven. Because you hope someday you will meet up with loved ones again. I'll be talking to you everday, Uncle Bill, to let you know if the Pirates won or not.