MY BROTHER AND BEST FRIEND
Jan 4, 2017 06:35:05 #
Today I lost my brother, best friend and childhood companion. Words cannot express the hollow feeling of grief and lost that one experiences at the finality of such a moment.
Joe was always my hero, such a grounded straight and narrow to a fault, while on the other hand I explored the outer fringes of obedience, more than once he saved my tail from a spanking. Joe was like having an outer conscience, "I wouldn't do that", "oh you better not", "daddy's gonna kill you" are just a few phrases he used to save my behind!
As children of the forties we grew up together sharing the excitement and challenges of our small world in a rural environment. We made memories that only we shared, they were cherished and recalled from time to time in our later years with fondness, and renewed the spirit of our childhood.
Some of my fondest memories were from the mid fifties, times were hard, dad had to take outside work and left most of the farming chores to Joe and I . For two skinny kids I recall one formidable project that we took on with lots of daddy's encouragement. To me, at the time, it was like asking us to build an Egyptian pyramid, but Joe said we can do it! Daddy had purchased a couple of milk cows that were going to calve and we needed a barn to house them! Grandpa had an old barn that he was no longer using so daddy wanted us to disassemble it for the lumber and bring it home and build a cow barn! To Joe that sounded easy enough but the only thing was that after we took grandpa's barn down we had to carry it, board by board, by hand down a narrow 3 block long foot path from grandpas to where we were to build the new cow shed. We salvaged enough material to build a new 20'X30' cow barn and managed to complete the project before school started that fall. It turned out to be one of the best summers of my childhood. Joe learned a lot about building from that project and went on to become a skilled carpenter and built the beautiful home that he, Donna and family have enjoyed to this day.
Joe was a one of a kind, to say he was head strong or hard headed was an understatement. Although modern medical technology gave him over twenty years of extended life, modern technology is something that he stayed away from. To him the computer, wifi and digital world was foreign and taboo, he chose to live a much simpler life. In a world where people say, how can you live without a cell phone, brother Joe managed just fine!
I love you brother and will surly miss you!
Joe was always my hero, such a grounded straight and narrow to a fault, while on the other hand I explored the outer fringes of obedience, more than once he saved my tail from a spanking. Joe was like having an outer conscience, "I wouldn't do that", "oh you better not", "daddy's gonna kill you" are just a few phrases he used to save my behind!
As children of the forties we grew up together sharing the excitement and challenges of our small world in a rural environment. We made memories that only we shared, they were cherished and recalled from time to time in our later years with fondness, and renewed the spirit of our childhood.
Some of my fondest memories were from the mid fifties, times were hard, dad had to take outside work and left most of the farming chores to Joe and I . For two skinny kids I recall one formidable project that we took on with lots of daddy's encouragement. To me, at the time, it was like asking us to build an Egyptian pyramid, but Joe said we can do it! Daddy had purchased a couple of milk cows that were going to calve and we needed a barn to house them! Grandpa had an old barn that he was no longer using so daddy wanted us to disassemble it for the lumber and bring it home and build a cow barn! To Joe that sounded easy enough but the only thing was that after we took grandpa's barn down we had to carry it, board by board, by hand down a narrow 3 block long foot path from grandpas to where we were to build the new cow shed. We salvaged enough material to build a new 20'X30' cow barn and managed to complete the project before school started that fall. It turned out to be one of the best summers of my childhood. Joe learned a lot about building from that project and went on to become a skilled carpenter and built the beautiful home that he, Donna and family have enjoyed to this day.
Joe was a one of a kind, to say he was head strong or hard headed was an understatement. Although modern medical technology gave him over twenty years of extended life, modern technology is something that he stayed away from. To him the computer, wifi and digital world was foreign and taboo, he chose to live a much simpler life. In a world where people say, how can you live without a cell phone, brother Joe managed just fine!
I love you brother and will surly miss you!
Jan 4, 2017 06:40:39 #
Jan 4, 2017 06:42:44 #
Sorry for your loss. It sounds like you had a childhood full of memories with which to honor your brother.
Jan 4, 2017 06:43:49 #
richosob
Loc: Lambertville, MI
Sirsnapalot wrote:
Today I lost my brother, best friend and childhood... (show quote)
I am very sorry for your loss. The bond between brothers is strong and starts when they are young children. Please accept my condolences.
Rich
Jan 4, 2017 06:44:42 #
Fond memories, best wishes to help you through this period.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing.
Jan 4, 2017 06:58:04 #
I am so, so sorry for your loss. I know that type of pain all too well. Please just hold on and remember to breathe. Take care and hang in there. Continue to share with someone. It helps.
Jan 4, 2017 07:01:06 #
Thanks all for your heartfelt words, they help ease the burden of our lost.
Jan 4, 2017 07:36:02 #
Jan 4, 2017 07:38:10 #
What wonderful memories. I don't know if having those memories makes it easier or harder to let him go. My condolences.
Jan 4, 2017 07:39:59 #
Jan 4, 2017 07:43:27 #
Jan 4, 2017 07:50:11 #
Jan 4, 2017 07:55:14 #
Jan 4, 2017 08:02:13 #
You have my sincere condolences on your loss! I have only one sibling, a brother who is exactly a year younger than me and I can't imagine what it would be like to lose him. Like you guys, we grew up together in the 40's and 50's and depended very much on each other.
Jan 4, 2017 08:03:04 #
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