An Uncle's Death and Family Mourning

Loyal readers know there's never a dull moment with Wife and the Miracles of Christ. If we're not travelling to see one side, we're going in the other direction to see the other side. Sometimes we are staying the night and sometimes it's just a day trip. Whatever it is, whoever we're visiting, it's keeping everyone here on our toes.

Sometimes there is a reason for visiting family that is not-so-great. I've told you about trips I've had to make in the past to say final goodbyes to family members. There are also happy reasons for leaving the homestead and heading out to see people. Whatever it is, there is always news about our family, and sometimes that news gives us cause to get in the car and go.

I got news of my uncle Jeff's passing two weeks ago. It was more sad news for my father's side of the family. I've said goodbye to my grandmother, two aunts and an uncle already. This made for the second uncle I've lost on this side. Uncle Jeff was a character. At Christmas gatherings, he would always show up in a Santa hat. He had his quirks, like all people do, and it seems like the quirks in the Gorman clan are a little more pronounced than others. You might disagree and you may be right. I don't know your family.

Uncle Jeff, AKA "UJ" (1954-2025)

Another Family Get-Together

There's going to be a remembrance service for him soon. Another chance for aunts, uncles, and cousins to come together. It's always a great time for me when the family gets together. Seeing everyone gives me a chance to catch up with people. My cousins are now spouses and parents. We will trade stories about our children testing our patience and pushing us to the limit. It's not like it was when we were children and we were perfect, angelic darlings who always did everything our parents told us to do. It's a struggle raising these little haunts, and the emotional support as we commiserate will no doubt be priceless.

Back to Uncle Jeff, or "UJ" as he was called. Like I said before, the man was a character. He sometimes hosted holiday get-togethers for Easter and, I think, Thanksgiving. He rented a house on a large plot of land. If it was nice enough outside, my brother and I would go outside and play catch or baseball. After the game, we would go to a room in the back of the house and watch a game on television with other uncles, including Uncle Wayne, the predeceased uncle I mentioned earlier in this missive. Getting together with the aunts, uncles, and eventual cousins was always a great time.

Hotels, and my First Job

One of UJ's jobs in his life was running hotels. He was at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem for a while. He also ran a Days Inn in Lynn. The Days Inn has long since gone away, but it was an important chapter in my life. I cut the grass and did odd jobs there. It was one of the first jobs I had, working there in the summer before my senior year of high school. My brother and I were there from June to September until it was time to go back to school. The hotel was on the Lynnway, a busy street, almost a highway. I picked up a lot of cigarette butts and lottery tickets from the front of the property.

It was nice to have some money in my pocket. I missed having a summer vacation, though. It was the first time in my life I had to get up and go to work instead of just being able to drink some coffee and maybe ride my bike or play baseball with my friends. I saw UJ at a family get-together that fall and he asked me if he was too hard on me and my brother when we were working for him. I told him, "not at all." He was our boss and we had work to do. The money I earned went toward clothes for school. It was the first time I took myself back-to-school shopping.

UJ not only hosted holidays for the family, he also provided space at the Days Inn when my grandmother retired. We used the restaurant in the hotel one day, pool tables and all, as we celebrated Grammy's career at Lynn Hospital/Atlanticare. We all had a great time and it was great to be able to find a place large enough to hold everyone. My father comes from a large family. Add some spouses and cousins and the family will get that much larger.

Come Together... Soon

It's that large family that will get together to celebrate the life of Uncle Jeff. There will be three generations of people there, like there always has been. The people representing those generations will be different. We will talk about UJ and what's happening in our own lives. As usual, I'll be looking for cousins and seeing how everyone is doing. I'll catch up with aunts and uncles. They'll ask me how work is, how my family is. I'll ask them how life is treating them and what exciting things have happened in their lives. We will have a chance to sit down and talk. All of us will remember Uncle Jeff and probably share a story or two while we sit and recollect. There will probably be a story about Grammy, who became "Great Grammy G" when the next generation came. It's always a great time when this crew gets together. The reason behind it is a sad one, but we somehow manage to make each other laugh no matter the reason we are coming together.

Okay, that's the sad story. Click here for the happy story.

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