Amy's Blog

If my grandma and her siblings are any indication, then I’d say that longevity runs in our family.  Grandma, the oldest of six children, lived until 91, and was in her right mind up until the very end, despite suffering a stroke at 87.  Uncle Jim died at age 84 after leading an extremely active lifestyle until an illness set in shortly before he passed.  Four of the siblings are still living, the youngest of which is 84 years old, and lives on a farm.  He gets up every morning and does his chores and tends to the cattle.  The oldest of the remaining four, Uncle Bob, turned 90 last week.

90 years old he has lived! What an incredible milestone.  We had a pretty big party to celebrate Grandma’s 90th birthday almost 4 years ago.  I’ve tried (although I could do MUCH better) to keep in touch with my great aunts and uncles and extended family since Grandma passed away two years ago.  It was with that in mind when I was looking at the 2016 calendar over Christmas last winter, that I decided that a trip to Cleveland was in order for another 90th birthday celebration.

In the months that followed, Uncle Bob’s 5 daughters were busy planning a surprise birthday party for him.  As his actual birthday, May 25th, approached, I realized that I had not told Uncle Bob about my plans for a trip to Cleveland.  I called him to wish him a happy birthday and he offered me the perfect opportunity to tell him about my trip without ruining the surprises to come.

“So, do you have any travels coming up,” Uncle Bob asked as we were chatting on the phone on his birthday.  “As a matter of fact, I’m going to Cleveland tomorrow,” I exclaimed.  He started laughing.  I told him that a person only turns 90 once, so I thought that it was a great excuse to make a trip to visit him and his family.

It was truly a wonderful trip (never mind the fact that it took me 24 hours and a day trip to Nashville to get there- https://amyguerich.com/2016/05/29/life-in-the-land-of-oz/ )  We had a family dinner, complete with strawberry shortcake with fresh picked strawberries, a beautiful Mass celebrated in Uncle Bob’s honor, a surprise party/luncheon, and an after party at Uncle Bob’s daughter’s family’s house, then a wonderful Memorial Day celebration honoring our veterans and service members (Uncle Bob is a veteran of World War II), and family lunch before I had to head to the airport.

I have really fond memories of Grandma being giddy with excitement and planning family dinners and getting the house ready for Uncle Bob and Aunt Joyce’s annual summer visits, and in more recent years, Uncle Bob and his daughter, Janet.  Grandma always cried when they left to make the drive back to Ohio.  We had fun enjoying big meals, story telling, and pitch games.  My favorite recent memories include Uncle Bob taking me to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland four years ago.  The feature exhibit that year was the Eagles.  It was so fun to see Uncle Bob with the headphones on listening to the narration and music at the different stations.  It was a special treat for me considering that I am a huge music fan.  Two or three years ago, I had the pleasure of taking Uncle Bob and Sr. Ginger on one of their Sunday drives when we were in Oklahoma for the Slavin family reunion.  I truly regret not having a tape recorder in the car with us.  It was SO wonderful to listen to the two siblings swap family stories on our 4+ hours in the car together.  I’ll never forget that hot and muggy Sunday afternoon in rural Oklahoma. I also love hearing the stories of Uncle Bob’s and Grandma’s St. Louis adventures when he was a student and Grandma was a young professional in the city.

I added some truly memorable moments to the Uncle Bob Memory Bank during this trip. I think that my favorite moment of the trip was something that I didn’t even experience first hand.  I was in the car putting on lipstick and making sure that my feet looked decent in my open toed shoes considering that I didn’t make time for a pedicure before the trip, priorities, right?!…yikes! But my cousin captured the moment perfectly.  Here is Uncle Bob being surprised by his little brother, Uncle Jerry, outside of the church before the birthday Mass.

I think that next on the list of favorite memories from the trip was the Mass.  Uncle Bob’s home parish put together a beautiful Mass to celebrate his 90th birthday.  His family and friends took up the first five pews in church, and I lost count of how many folks came up before and after Mass to wish him a happy birthday.  What a beautiful testament to a faithful person who selflessly serves his parish community!

I really enjoyed meeting and visiting with Uncle Bob’s friends at the party.  I met someone who had no idea that he grew up in Kansas! I also met a woman who worked for Uncle Bob as a secretary back in 1960.  She spoke so highly of Uncle Bob that it made me very proud to know him and to be able to call him a great uncle.  He is remarkably GREAT!

I have to say, that another favorite memory from the weekend, albeit a little selfish, was when Uncle Bob told me that he was proud of me at our family lunch before I had to head to the airport.  He will never know just how much that comment means to me.  No words.

Uncle Bob is not the typical 90 year old, as evidenced by the waitress at lunch who’s jaw dropped when we told her that Uncle Bob was 90 as she proceeded to tell us about the nursing home patients at her old job who “were in their 70s and 80s and could barely walk”, or the countless Facebook comments from people who saw his picture and can’t believe that he’s 90.  He drives 900 miles to Kansas every year.  He enjoys a beer or two at lunch or at a family party.  He attends daily Mass.  When we were on the phone the other day, he said “there isn’t a minute in the day that goes unused.”

I can hear that song, “The Secret of Life” by Faith Hill playing….she says that the secret of life is a good cup of coffee, keep your eye on the ball, staying up late, etc.

I think Uncle Bob’s “secret” of life isn’t a secret at all.  He’s been a devoted husband, a good father, wonderfully patient and kind (even after raising 5 daughters!), a genuinely generous and giving and extremely faithful person.  He has fun, he laughs, he cries, he makes those around him want to be a better person.  He LIVES!

HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY, UNCLE BOB!