The uncertainty of this life

by Damian | May 30, 2016 | Deep Thoughts, Family | 1 comment

As I mentioned in a recent post, my Uncle Don passed away recently. His oldest child, my cousin Bob, was going through Uncle Don’s safe deposit box and found a copy of my father’s will, which he mailed to me.

It starts out this way:

I, Herbert J. Dotterweich, now residing at 389 Liberty Avenue, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, being of sound mind, and mindful of the uncertainty of this life, do make, publish and declare this to be my last will and testament.

I know my dad modified the boilerplate language of wills to add the phrase “and mindful of the uncertainty of this life”.  I know because the will is dated November 20th, 1968. 11 days after my mom died of leukemia, less than six months after being diagnosed with it, at the age of 33. “Mindful of the uncertainly of this life” indeed. He was mindful of it for the rest of his years on earth, as he raised four kids by himself.

Today is my dad’s birthday. He would’ve been 85. I miss him every day. But I also smile at the fact that when he changed the wording of the will, he added “the uncertainty of this life” not “the uncertainty of life.” Because he was a believer. I am too.

The greatest man I know from The Greatest Generation

by Damian | Apr 30, 2016 | Deep Thoughts, Family | 2 comments

My Uncle Don passed away recently, at the age of 92. Took a nap and never woke up. He had dementia, but physically was still strong as an ox. He even took a open-air plane ride less than a year ago.

If you read his obituary, you get a glimpse of what an amazing guy he was:

• married for more than 60 years
• father of 5
• grandfather of 11
• great-grandfather of 4
• WWII veteran – Lieutenant pilot in the Army Air Force, flying missions aboard C-46 and C-54s while stationed in the South Pacific, Karachi and in the China-Burma-India theater
• Senior class president at Syracuse University, student council chairman, president of Pi Mu Epsilon, the mathematics honor society, and vice-president of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society
• 37-year career with Exxon Chemical
• founding member of a Catholic church in Houston, and a religious education teacher
• Saxophone player and tennis player
• Animal lover

But that just scratches the surface. After my mother died at age 33 and my dad moved the family (4 kids under age 10) from Jersey City, New Jersey to the sticks of Arkansas, we spent several childhood summers living with my uncle and aunt in Houston. We didn’t think anything of it at the time, but in hindsight it was such an amazing sacrifice for Uncle Don – who had 5 kids of his own, mind you – to take on another brood of 4 from his wife’s brother for three months of every year. And he did so much more than provide room and board… it was in Houston under his tutelage that my siblings and I learned how to swim, and ride bikes. He took us to Astros games, to amusement parks, to ice cream parlors, and loved us as if we were his own kids. It gave us a sense of normalcy in a childhood that was otherwise anything but normal. And for that we’ll forever be grateful.

Rest in peace, Uncle Don.

A Sunday in March

by Damian | Mar 13, 2016 | Deep Thoughts, Family | 2 comments

This morning, March 13th, I ran the Cincinnati Heart Mini, a 15K race. This was the 39th annual Heart Mini, a fundraiser for the American Heart Association.

Six years ago, on a Sunday, March 14th, 2010, my dad had a hemorrhagic stroke while attending Mass. He died 4 days later.

Needless to say, it was easy to find motivation to run. A silent prayer with every step. This one’s for you, Herb.