A little bit of history about my dad’s side of the family.
He is one of four brothers (Walt, Ed, Charles and Mike) – his parents (Walt Sr. and Marie) lived in Stevens Point all their lives and raised their sons near downtown Stevens Point. My grandfather was part of the water commission and he owned a chain of laundries around town and surrounding areas. My grandmother stayed home and took care of the boys.
My uncle Ed had a condition called hydrocephalus (the condition is sometimes known as “water on the brain”) – he passed away when I was quite young due to a fall during a seizure he had one day. I do remember him quite well and the kind disposition he had at all times. I also remember times we got to visit him in the hospital – I think he was in a coma all throughout that stay, he never woke up, but I saw him never-the-less. Sometimes, even now, I wonder if he knew we were there. My brother has the same condition Eddie had.
Another uncle, Charles (a.k.a. Tuck, Chuck, Aunt Charlotte) was the 3rd in line and probably the most problematic. He wanted to become a monk, taught for awhile, lived in Ireland and worked in a bank in Southern California. There is remains in a forces early retirement. He brought his younger brother Mike there with grandma in early 2000 or there abouts. After trying to lead a straight life during his 30s and maybe well into his 40s he is now an open, gay man with a nice bf. I visit him as much as possible since I have the condition he has (haha).
The last uncle is Mike. The baby of the family. Perpetually at odds with my father, the eldest. I think that’s the case in many families. He just went through a divorce and is living in Southern CA as well.
After my grandfather’s death in the 1980s, Walt Sr. left the family business to his remaining sons. This was after Eddie passed away. Charles, Mike and my dad basically did not get along and soon the family business was just a memory. There are still building around Point that have the old, big signs that used to have our name on them. It’s eerie seeing them now with different letterings.
My father has told me that somewhere down the Family Tree, I’m related to Captain Cook (he discovered Hawaii and to Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin). Don’t know if this is true or not, but it sounds cool, huh?
My grandmother just passed away last year. Old age. My grandfather was a heart attack. My brother and I are the only grandchildren they had and the only nephews Mike and Tuck have. Small family – unlike my mom’s.
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