At My Uncle Bob's Wake - and other musings

There were probably 250 people present at one point or another. Conversations all tended to go something like "I haven't seen you since Uncle Henry died," [that was 1995], or "Whose child is that?" sometimes followed by "So that Elizabeth's, (pause) and Elizabeth is whose daughter?"

The "Class of 1960" from my family, those of us born in that final year of the Esienhower administration, were all there but one. Me, Debbie Brown Solmonson, Steve Collins, Bobby Lewis III (named for the deceased, who never married or had children), and Melanie Baker. Missing from our group was Robert McGohon.

At one point, one of the funeral directors had a call for a "Jim Lewis," to which the answer was "Which one?" as there were three in the room at the time. Another common name in the family is Robert (the name of the father of the deceased, my great-grandfather) and its spinoffs, Rob, Bob, Bobby, and Bobbie (for a female), all of whom were present (including the deceased). I met one of my cousins for the third time last night, yet another Bob Lewis, who was born when his father and I were both LRC employees back in 1980. I had met him the second time at Uncle Henry's funeral. After a short discussion last night, we determined we worked in the the same building here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606, he for the County Clerk, me for the County Attorney. Not only is Louisville just a very big town, but Kentucky remains a small state where lots of folks are related and interrelated, some unbeknownst to each other.

The funeral was held this morning in the rain, with Uncle Bob being laid to rest a few lots above my grandmother, a few lots over from his parents, and amongst the thirty or so relatives of mine buried there in the Sunset Memorial Gardens in Woodford County.

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I realize that as a "political" blog I should say something here about the State of the Union address delivered last night by the Commander-In-Chief of the Republic, but there wasn't much to the speech. Lameduck-ness must have already settled in. I was surprised he didn't call for additional tax cuts, but rather only to keep the ones he previously passed. I was happy with his comments on immigration, although he and I seem to be the only two people who seem to agree (and then only somewhat) on this great matter. He admitted the federal government is aiding and abetting faith-based groups with grant money for their social programs, something I find appalling and more properly the role of the federal government. He acknowledged the economy sucks and he offered no real solution, only a short-term fixit - his words, not mine, and one which will deepen the government's already Grand Canyon-like debt. Ironically, he called for an end to earmarks, despite having signed every earmark-earmarked bill the previous Republican-led congress had sent him. Suddenly, earmarks are bad. Maybe they are.

He did seem to enjoy his last State of the Union speech. I enjoyed it knowing he will be giving no more. Redemption draweth nigh.