Remembering Great Uncle Deb

This year, well into his nineties, we lost my great uncle Deb and I will miss him—he was FUN.

Visiting him as a kid in Williamstown, PA was a highlight of our summer vacation.

First of all, he had a pool. Not many people had pools in those days and that made us feel like rich kids. Because he told us that he swam in that pool daily, I was convinced he was some kind of mysterious athlete that was independently wealthy. He was a tall, sinewy man with an impressive physique, and he was always happy to see us.  He wore a wry smile all the time, and when we visited, he loved being outside with us or in his yard. I’ll always remember him with a cigar in one hand, and some sort of yard tool in the other. He would stand there beside that pool in his hiking boots and shorts and bellow out challenges like, “How far can you dive?” or “How many laps can you swim under water at once?”

There were all kinds of dares and double dares accompanied by that great smile. Uncle Deb was always quick to point out that we could do anything if we tried hard enough—just look at him! One such episode struck me as funny. He was chipping little bites of wood out of a several long branches that he held precariously close with one hand as he chopped with the other. I said to him, “Uncle Deb, what happens if you miss and chop your hand instead of the wood?” He took the cigar out of his mouth, looked up at me and said, “Well then, I’d be cock-eyed wouldn’t I?”

He was good at just about everything with his hands and I admired that.

One thing for sure though, and this I will always remember; there were lots of kids in and out of that pool over many summers, and he made each and every one of us smile.

Good on you, Uncle Deb.

Cheers...

Virginia 'Ginny' Davis
aka Gin Miller