A FAMILY LOSS

Chandra, our daughter-in-law, recently lost her father Joe, and his memorial service was yesterday in Monterey. I extended my stay here in Central California, so that I could be with the family and attend the service. I only had the pleasure of being with Joe on a handful of occasions, but he was the kind of guy who instantly made you feel welcome, and was a genuine nice guy. I'm sure that if we had lived in closer proximity, Joe and I would have been buddies, and probably would have gotten into all kinds of mischief. I'll never forget when Chandra and Marc got married at Bass Lake, part of the ritual was Tuxedos and flip flops for all of the wedding party, including Joe. This was Chandra and Marc's thing, but Joe was right there with his Tux and flip flops, walking Chandra down the aisle, and enjoying every second of the experience. He and Eloise were there with Patty and I in Tucson, when Chandra went through the terrible experience of losing her first pregnancy. I really liked Joe, and our hearts are with Chandra, Eloise and the entire family, as they work through this difficult time of grief and change.