Friday, May 5, 2017

Uncle Norman

Uncle Norman is my father's younger brother. They were both much younger than the rest of their siblings.

Uncle Norman was the reason my father met my mother. Uncle Norman was dating my mother's younger sister. When Daddy came back from the war they arranged for Mom and Daddy to double date with them.

Uncle Norman and Aunt Luella eventually stopped seeing each other. Mom and Daddy got married.

Uncle Norman served during the Korean War. After he came home he somehow met a nice woman from Tennessee. They married and had a couple of children.

They came to visit for a day when I was about 8 or 9 years old. It was early in the morning. The rest of us kids were in school. As part of his morning ritual my little brother took his penny and went to the store for a piece of candy.

Mom always watched my brother until he turned the corner on the next block. The woman at the store was waiting and watching for him. When he left the store she watched until he turned the corner going home knowing that Mom was watching then. It was a good arrangement.

So the morning Uncle Norman came he saw my brother walking home but of course didn't see Mom. He rolled down his window and kept asking my brother what his anme was and where he lived.

My brother knew he should not talk to strangers so he hurried home. When my uncle saw my mother he was laughing about my brother not talking to him.

When we went on a long vacation part of it was spent with Uncle Norman's family. They had a son and daughter at the time.

His wife Patsy made us a snack one evening. I raved about how good it was and told my mother she should get the recipe. Finally Mom took me to one side and explained that it was simply donuts made from cans of biscuit dough dredged in frosting.

Uncle Norman decided to show Daddy around town. He was the barber so he just closed his shop and off they went.

Aunt Patsy was sure they were up to no good and dragged Mom to go looking for them. Mom said they saw every illegal still in the county. The menfolk were waiting at home when they got there.

The last time I saw Uncle Norman there were two more children. They were there for Daddy's funeral.

His children obviously did not want to be there and were not shy about making it known. To be fair they did not know us so I am sure they felt out of place.

Uncle Norman was very nice to us. Like family should be. Patsy and the kids never had the opportunity to know us and they felt like outsiders.

12 comments:

  1. If it was for this Uncle, things would be very different! Norman the match maker.

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  2. Thanks, Emma, for sharing these recollections of your Uncle Norman. I would have enjoyed those donuts too!

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  3. how interesting that your dad and mom got along forever and your uncle Norman could not ,as their relationship was just source of meeting of you parents that is how nature chooses ways for us.
    your brother was good child to remember the rules told by her mom.
    i found Palsy and her kids little strange to not being close to their important relationships

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    1. My parents and the way they met are one of my favorite family stories. I also found Aunt Patsy and my cousins a bit strange. They were from a totally different environment and I believe that may be the difference.

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  4. We have uncle Norman over all the places.

    But only your uncle Norman is a match maker.

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  5. So interesting and fascinating in a peculiar way. I recognise traits of Uncle Norman's personality in a couple of my own uncles.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. It only goes to show that we are all linked in one way or another.

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