As all the news shows are marking the one year anniversary of the pandemic, my family marked a different one. On Mar. 4th my uncle passed away; at the time they said unknown sepsis but looking back there is a possibility it was Covid. Not that the cause of death matters any more, but in a lot of ways it was a harbinger of what was to come for the families of the 500,000+ that have died since then.

One of the things I had looked forward to adding to my life when I moved here was seeing my uncle more often since he was in assisted living about 20 minutes north of my parents. During December I had sewed him our family's Christmas gift - a needlepoint cardinal (my late aunt's favorite bird) with "Peace" above it. I still hope to this day that he found some solace in the sentiment prior to his passing, as that and visiting him was all I could do to make his last years less lonely. 

I miss his knowledge and love of history. His stories from when he was in the Coast Guard at the tail end of WWII and after his discharge how he met my aunt. The way West Orange and Newark used to be and the move to Livingston, along with his pride in owning that house. I miss the way he too had been through bad times in the family and his knowing commiseration with my troubles. He knew what it was like to work in the corporate world and in NYC, and heard through his boys as well as me how much it had changed. I miss that he loved having the whole family around, watching from his recliner. I miss everything that made him who he was, good and bad.

We had the funeral on Mar. 12th once his son in Florida made it to NJ, just before the Sunday I made the mad dash into NYC with my dad to collect 10 months worth of clothes as the lockdown went into effect. Any later and we wouldn't have had a funeral, especially in those early days.

A little over a year since he died. How time flies, but I'm glad he didn't have to be isolated in the assisted living for that time with no visitors, and possible deaths of those he knew from Covid. Deep down I know it was for the best, and he was ready to go be with my aunt. Rest in peace indeed. And know that we miss you.