Uncle Woodrow

Well as most of you know, my Great Uncle Woodrow passed away this morning, exactly 1 week shy of celebrating his 88th birthday. Uncle Woodrow was more then an uncle to me, he was like the grandfather I never had. He spent most of his life in the Navy and then married a much older woman, who had already been married and had kids of her own. Never having kids of his own and after his wife's passing in July of 73, the story goes that he came down for Christmas in 1973 and fell in love with me, at the wonderful age of 4 months. My grandmother talked him in to moving back to Fl and living with her and since I was at my grandmother's house 24/7, naturally he filled the shoes of not having a grandfather. I never called him grandfather, but he was truely a very special person to me.

He always either rode a bicycle or walked everywhere he went. I remember as a little girl, I always knew when he would visit my grandmother while I was at school because he would always leave a little money on my dresser. As I got older and was able to drive, I would go over and pick him up and take him to the store or the doctor. I remember for his birthday one year, I saved up the money to buy him a new bicycle. I even had the store place a basket on the front and I comfortable seat on the back.

In the 90's he worked as the nighttime security for the college that I was attending and on the nights I had classes, he would walk to work and then I would drive him home after class.

I will never forget his delish mac and cheese and he would always fry little drum sticks for me.

As the years passed and I got married, Phillip and I continued to take care of him and Phillip grew to love the sometimes gruff man just as much as I did. When Jonah and Courtney were born he was the first one to place a dollar in their tiny little hand,( it was only a quarter when I was a baby and actually I still have that quarter. ) He used to make up things that he needed just so that I would go by and see him, this was especially so after I had kids. He would always give them a dollar and a handful of vanilla wafers. In fact still to this day Courtney will bring up Uncle Woodrow and his vanilla wafers.

In 2003, with the support of such a wonderful and amazing husband, we moved Uncle Woodrow to Ky to live with us. I will never regret the times that we have shared together, Oh and the stories. I'll miss him, that's for sure.

Well I guess that I have done enough rambling.

We plan to leave bright and early in the morning, in fact our alarm is set to go off is 3 hours and I have not even made it to bed yet (good thing, Phillip is driving the first part of the trip.)

Wasn't he a cutie, look at those chubby cheeks!
Age 14
His life was the Navy
Uncle Woodrow and his wife Lillian
1970
This is when he fell in love with me, my first Christmas. Uncle Woodrow, me, my Mema (his sister) and my cousin Clint

1986 -Siblings

Edward, King, Woodrow, and Floy (MEMA)
Uncle Woodrow and my mom -1986
Uncle Woodrow holding Jonah for the first time - 1996
Uncle Woodrow and Courtney - 1998

My family - four generations totalChristmas 2003 - When we brought Uncle Woodrow to live with us in Ky
Mom, Uncle Woodrow, and my aunt Bernice (my mother's sister)
Uncle Woodrow's 85th birthday
Christmas 2003

May he rest in peace!