My Uncle Chas

My Great-Uncle Chas died on March 7. He was 93 years old.

It seems so simple to say, even write, but it's not so simple to feel. Chas was more than an uncle, he was a playmate during my childhood. As I grew up, he continued to tell the stories of my youth. He kept it alive in his memory, mine and anyone else who knew him. His neighbors (whom I had never met) shared a meal with me after his funeral and they told me they felt like they knew me, albeit through someone else's eyes. I will miss hearing Chas tell those stories and, more than that, I will miss hearing Chas tell my children those stories.

Chas was the biggest kids I know. He met Madelyn when she was 5 months old. He did everything he could to make her laugh. Even at the age of 87, he immediately got down on the floor to play with her.
When the boys (also 5-months-old) came to meet Uncle Chas over Labor Day 2007, he was thrilled. He snatched them right up.
I am grateful for the time I had with Chas. There was never any doubt that he loved me. I will miss his smile and just knowing he is there in Delaware waiting for our next visit. Of course, that's selfish. For Chas, I am thankful that the Lord took him quickly and that he is now reunited in Heaven with my Aunt Marie, his brothers and parents.