UNCLE

My Uncle was an artist, who carefully made things beautiful. Whether it was a gift for Christmas, the table for dinner, or a letter, he designed it and executed it like only his artistic soul could do. He was most like my Grandma, with a rare photograph posed. Usually he was making a smart remark or laughing.

He travelled a lot, created and loved art, and was an amazing host.

He was taken in the span of a night. I am grateful that his life partner was there that night. I am sure it was traumatic for Joe, and being a gay couple living in adjacent States did not make it easy on him. The police wanted to talk to a relative with his last name, a final injustice to his gay partnership, so he had to call me in the middle of the night instead of being recognized as his next of kin. Later, he had to go in with local friends to again identify him for the State.  

My uncle had a heart attack over a year ago, remarkable for two things that he joked about in his sardonic way: he went to the ER by bus, and they put in 4 stents, which even as a radiology illustrator, he knew wasn't right. His dad may have died of a sudden cardiac death in the decade before him, but I think it was a longer night for Grandma who woke to Grandpa’s respiratory distress, and may have even been a pulmonary cause in discussions about it since, as I recently understood he was known to have “phlebitis”.

I had hoped to introduce my daughter to her great uncle in person one day, and attend another VCU French Festival together, post COVID, but it was not to be. Our last conversations were by email, with my parents version of American Gothic making him laugh.

Afterwards, his tribute page was filled with art, just as it is right to be. He was a funny, generous, smart, quick-witted, irreverent, lovely man. He was a bright light in a dreary world. I will miss him very much.

From his Christmas Card collection:

Here are some pictures in his legacy: