From my facebook page:
And the wheel turns, again: He was one of the "cousins", on dad's side. As it happened, he and his sister were on the list of "adored" people in this child's life--they were older, they lived on a lakeshore, they lived "far away" from my location (now, it's just a short shot up the freeway). We saw them on a pretty regular basis. Dad's folks were on the other end of the road their house was situated on, and the road went both ways, easily. The sister, LouAnn, was who I wanted to be when I grew up--she had dimples, a killer smile, beautiful chestnut hair, and eyes that sparkled. He had the same kind of eyes, the same easy smile--and even as a kid, his heart was kind. They were the bomb. I was younger by a minimum of three years--not much, as an adult-- but when you're a 10 year old girl, you were in a different category, entirely.
I remember one day, in particular, when my folks went to see them. I was anticipating seeing the cousins, but they had plans that wouldn't accommodate me, the little kid. I had run out of things to do, when Dale, my cousin, came up to me, and took my hand. He said, "Come with me." He led me upstairs to his room, and sat me down, and pointed at a huge stack of "Boy's Life" magazines, and said, "I have to go, but I think you'll like these." I did. Hugely. I don't know if he just had an instinct, but he had pointed this little kid to a jackpot that kept me out of the adults' way, and fully engaged in learning about the inner life of the Boy Scouts. This was magic--these were full of the stuff my father taught me, every day, from putting up tents, to whittling, to cleaning up a campsite... it went on, and on. I was happy. This tomboy was in heaven. And it showed me, even at that age, that Dale had a gift with kids' hearts.
Dale played basketball. He graduated from college. He taught kids math--big math! He taught kids fairness. He coached. He wrote. He married a lovely lady, Cheryl, and they have a lovely family. And it broke my heart, when, along the way, he acquired the same affliction that my husband had. Dale, too, fought that battle for more than 25 years. The tall, strong cousin began to succumb to this thief of life, as everyone with it, does. It will win. This spring, Dale got pneumonia. It happens, with age: with Parkinson's, it is a high risk. He was doing pretty well after a hospitalization, and "stopped by" a facility, along the way, for rehab. And yesterday, the combination of Parkinson's and debilitation won. We lost Dale. The world is a little less witty, a little less smart, a little less kind, for his loss.
As his daughter posted, "Heaven is an angel richer, today..."
I remember one day, in particular, when my folks went to see them. I was anticipating seeing the cousins, but they had plans that wouldn't accommodate me, the little kid. I had run out of things to do, when Dale, my cousin, came up to me, and took my hand. He said, "Come with me." He led me upstairs to his room, and sat me down, and pointed at a huge stack of "Boy's Life" magazines, and said, "I have to go, but I think you'll like these." I did. Hugely. I don't know if he just had an instinct, but he had pointed this little kid to a jackpot that kept me out of the adults' way, and fully engaged in learning about the inner life of the Boy Scouts. This was magic--these were full of the stuff my father taught me, every day, from putting up tents, to whittling, to cleaning up a campsite... it went on, and on. I was happy. This tomboy was in heaven. And it showed me, even at that age, that Dale had a gift with kids' hearts.
Dale played basketball. He graduated from college. He taught kids math--big math! He taught kids fairness. He coached. He wrote. He married a lovely lady, Cheryl, and they have a lovely family. And it broke my heart, when, along the way, he acquired the same affliction that my husband had. Dale, too, fought that battle for more than 25 years. The tall, strong cousin began to succumb to this thief of life, as everyone with it, does. It will win. This spring, Dale got pneumonia. It happens, with age: with Parkinson's, it is a high risk. He was doing pretty well after a hospitalization, and "stopped by" a facility, along the way, for rehab. And yesterday, the combination of Parkinson's and debilitation won. We lost Dale. The world is a little less witty, a little less smart, a little less kind, for his loss.
As his daughter posted, "Heaven is an angel richer, today..."