2006-05-10 - 10:37 p.m.
So my Uncle Ted.
In 1962, a few years before I was born, my Grandfather died unexpectantly after being hit over the head with a coke bottle while trying to stop some kids from breaking into his vending machines. He was only 46.
My Uncle Ted was his younger brother.
Our family was never a very close knit family, but my Uncle Ted became a kind of father/brother/friend to my Dad and a pseudo~grandfather to me.
The memories I have of him mostly come from what other people told me along the way. He was an entrepreneur. He was into bodybuilding and vitamins long before any of that was popular. He owned a gym way back before I was born. (Several years ago he gave me a vintage drawing of one of the weight lifters who used to work out at his gym.)
For a while he owned a Tune & Lube place. Again, he was ahead of his time. This was several years before you'd see a tune up place on every corner. He started up the Tune & Lube about the time I started driving. I wouldn't trust my car(s) to anyone but him or his son.
Later, after he retired, he and his wife came to visit me when I started out on my own venture....buying a building in Oregon. I know they thought I was crazy at first. But this has always been our family way.....just go out and do it....see what happens. Later I ended up doing some business with them, selling things for them in my store.
He was also the first one of my family to get into computers...he was 74 at the time. He was problably the first person I ever sent email to.
I will remember him for him always saying, "Whatever turns you on!"
For the license plate on his yellow Cadillac: NOMODO (meaning...I'm all outta cash!)
For the fancy double wood doors to his house that seemed gigantic to me when I was a child.
He had alzheimers for some time now, and had been in a home for the last month. He was 85. He is survived by his wife, who is about 70, and his 3 kids and several grandchildren, and us.
At the funeral today (which I could not attend due to being in CA) it turned out that 10 years ago he wrote a letter to his family. The letter expressed how much he had loved his children, his family. That he had never been an emotional or demonstrative person, but he wanted to them to know how much he loved them.
Rest in peace, Uncle Ted. I love you too.
2006-05-10 - 12:06 a.m.
I have a few things to blog about. My Uncle died this weekend. I just found out tonight. After I think about it for a bit, I hope I can blog for him a proper eulogy. I will get to the other topics later this week.
Of course, you know, all of this is copy right protected. None of this information may be reproduced without my permission.