It is NEVERending!
My Aunt Wanda called me, which she has never done, so I answered (just as I was pulling into the SJPD lot for a seminar) because I figured something had to be up. She asked if I had my funeral clothes on (becoming a bit of a standing joke with our family) and ironically I did since I had this thing for SJPD.
"Oh my god, what are you talking about?!?"
"It just never ends. Joe Manuretto was found below his hunting stand, dead. Broke his neck."
Here's the background:
My mom (who's parents, the Parents-yep that's her maiden name-, died recently) grew up in a small, small coal mining town in rural Illinois. For 60 years or so there were 3 families that lived right next to each other. In house #1 were my grandparents. In house #2 were Aunt Maggie and Uncle John and their 2 sons (Jim and Tim) and daughter (Nancy). In house #3 were Joe and Phyllis Manuretto and their 2 daughters (Kim and Denise) and son (Joe). The kids all grew up together, coming over to each others' houses to see who's mom was cooking the best dinner. Or babysitting one another or whatever. It was so tight knit that Jim and Denise married and live about a mile outside of town. Our families have been interconnected for nearly 50 years. When my granny died in June they lost a mother figure. When my poppi died this month, they lost that man to revere in town. When aunt maggie died 2 days after him, I lost my last granny.
Here's the weirdest part. My mom and dad live outside of Tacoma. Joe just pinned Colonel at Ft. Lewis and is a pathologist at the hospital for the Army. Ft. Lewis is outside of Seattle. He was my mother's pathologist on her last breast cancer scare. They have reconnected since they live less than half an hour away. She has become good friends with his wife and seen his 2 little grrls growing up. His sister, Kim, lives about 10 minutes away from my mother now too. 3 kids from Zeigler, IL more importantly from Orchard St in Zeigler live within 30 minutes of each other all the way across the country!
So back to Joe. He is about 10 years older than me. So young, yes. He comes home every November for a few weeks of deer season. He is an avid hunter. I remember him being the cool older kid 2 houses down when I was a munchkin. I used to play his Atari and hang out with him when he'd let me.
Apparently, in the little scoop I got today, he was found by my uncle or his friends (?) below his hunting stand in Illinois, dead of an apparent broken neck. Details are still sketchy.
I don't know how much more this family (and by family I mean the 3 families that are so intertwined) can handle. We've had 4 major deaths in 5 months time and this one is so shocking that I am not even sure how to feel.
I really just cannot believe it.
"Oh my god, what are you talking about?!?"
"It just never ends. Joe Manuretto was found below his hunting stand, dead. Broke his neck."
Here's the background:
My mom (who's parents, the Parents-yep that's her maiden name-, died recently) grew up in a small, small coal mining town in rural Illinois. For 60 years or so there were 3 families that lived right next to each other. In house #1 were my grandparents. In house #2 were Aunt Maggie and Uncle John and their 2 sons (Jim and Tim) and daughter (Nancy). In house #3 were Joe and Phyllis Manuretto and their 2 daughters (Kim and Denise) and son (Joe). The kids all grew up together, coming over to each others' houses to see who's mom was cooking the best dinner. Or babysitting one another or whatever. It was so tight knit that Jim and Denise married and live about a mile outside of town. Our families have been interconnected for nearly 50 years. When my granny died in June they lost a mother figure. When my poppi died this month, they lost that man to revere in town. When aunt maggie died 2 days after him, I lost my last granny.
Here's the weirdest part. My mom and dad live outside of Tacoma. Joe just pinned Colonel at Ft. Lewis and is a pathologist at the hospital for the Army. Ft. Lewis is outside of Seattle. He was my mother's pathologist on her last breast cancer scare. They have reconnected since they live less than half an hour away. She has become good friends with his wife and seen his 2 little grrls growing up. His sister, Kim, lives about 10 minutes away from my mother now too. 3 kids from Zeigler, IL more importantly from Orchard St in Zeigler live within 30 minutes of each other all the way across the country!
So back to Joe. He is about 10 years older than me. So young, yes. He comes home every November for a few weeks of deer season. He is an avid hunter. I remember him being the cool older kid 2 houses down when I was a munchkin. I used to play his Atari and hang out with him when he'd let me.
Apparently, in the little scoop I got today, he was found by my uncle or his friends (?) below his hunting stand in Illinois, dead of an apparent broken neck. Details are still sketchy.
I don't know how much more this family (and by family I mean the 3 families that are so intertwined) can handle. We've had 4 major deaths in 5 months time and this one is so shocking that I am not even sure how to feel.
I really just cannot believe it.