Farewell to an Uncle

Last evening, family and friends met to say goodbye to my Uncle Art. Baby Brother and Sis-in-Law were there, talking to our last uncle.

Cousins were there. I had to confess, while I knew they were Uncle Howard's daughters, aside from Kelly, on the left, I wasn't sure which ones the other two were. I had to ask later. (Kelly, Renee, and Michelle--from the slim sophisticated side of the family.)
Uncle Art was a farm boy through and through. A shy boy who grew into a shy farmer. Not until Grandma was gone, did he even talk on the telephone, let alone go into a grocery store! And while he still rarely spoke to women, unless related, he did manage to become a bit more outgoing. Once the farm was sold, he went on many hunting trips, large and small game. He visited Alaska, flying into the back country to hunt and fish.

He helped friends in Montana repair old homestead buildings, and hunted there as well. He worked for another area farm, only coming off the tractor when it was 5pm. After all, my mom had supper ready for him. He even traveled to Belize with friends from our neighborhood, and spend some winters there, working and farming there as well.

Not too shabby for a shy farm boy.