Old Folks & My Great Uncle Bob

There's something about older people that I think everyone really ought to respect & appreciate! And they're just so darn cute! Besides how many great stories they have to tell....think of all the things they've witnessed over time & how amazing it must be to see so many changes over their lifetime! I wish I realized this when I was younger. I'm afraid to say I wasn't very nice to my elder teachers (like Mr. Woods at Twin Peaks who we'd mess with him & his hearing aid all the time. Or Ms. Skelton at Bonneville Jr. High & how we'd move the desks around just to confuse her, for one thing. Being that I had an appt. with her & my dad every Thursday for the remainder of the school year had to be a sign I wasn't very cooperative!). I wish I could apologize to them now! I learned to have more respect for them when I was working at Ponderosa & many became my regulars for years (yea, 10 years at good ol' Pondo..and when some came every day, you would get to know them!). I sure miss many of them & how much they would brighten my day getting the chance to talk to them all the time! My dad thought it was funny that we had so many of our customers at our wedding; but, they really were all like family to us!

Anyway, one of my most favorite, and certainly one of the cutest, was my Great Uncle Bob. The "National Treasure" as he called himself. He passed away in 2005 at the ripe age of 96. I can't say enough how much I loved being around him, he had such a great sense of humor & the best stories to share!! So let me tell you a bit about Uncle Bob..he is certainly someone I wish you all got to know! His wife, Aunt Winni, passed away when they were still young. As hard as this was, he learned then he needed to take care of himself. He had an incredible garden (oh we'd love to run through it all the time!), he learned to cook very well (his homeade ice cream was the best!). He'd often have the family over for family parties & we very much enjoyed his cooking! He even brought his homemade chocolate chip cookies to his own 90th Birthday Party! I thought it was funny to hear at his funeral about how he would always take the stairs....he told his son-in-law that he'd start taking the elevator "when he was old". I'll always remember how he'd often take us cross country skiing with him when we were younger too & talked about enjoying the sports cars as they starting coming around (apparently he was a little speed racer back in his day :}). He was an Army Veteren in World War II & received a Bronze Star for courage. He was particularly proud of the time he got to meet General Eisenhower when he was the "Radar" (you know, from M*A*S*H) of the troop. When he found out he was from Utah, and asked if he was mormon, Uncle Bob proudly said yes & General Eisenhower said something to the sort of what good people they are & for his leaders to take good care of him! Of course he has many more stories; but, I think of him often & how much I appreciated his kindness towards our family. I hope you all have an "Uncle Bob" in your life...if not, I bet you could find one at the nearest retirement home. You know there's plenty of stories to be told & a lot to learn by the old folks!!

So glad my kids got a chance to know him a bit & hear some of his stories! Plus they always loved how much candy they always got when they went to his house!

At his 90th Birthday Party

He always treated my dad (who was his nephew) like his own. Since Grandma lived in California, I think he made extra effort to know we had family here too!

Enjoying a family birthday party together

Uncle Bob with his family