Another Sadness

The last of the siblings of my father's generation has passed away. My uncle, Ted Raddish, died on Tuesday, June 22, only 4 1/2 months after his Emma.

Although his memory was failing him, his sense of humor never did. He was as ready as ever with a clever riposte if you were foolish enough to give him a straight line.

Despite some difficult experiences in childhood, Ted's innate good nature and solid common sense turned him toward all those things that are the foundations of a decent and satisfying life. There was nothing grandiose or showy about him and there was everything cheerful and good. I miss him....I miss them all.

Emma and Ted at Thanksgiving 2009

Attached is the last family photo in which Emma and Ted appear was taken at the home of cousins Lisa and Joe Snyder. Although in ill health, Emma did not like to miss seeing her family. It was a beautiful fall day. The air was warm in the middle of the day and we ate out of doors, as usual.

The Old World Passes Away

Death has taken another member of our family. My aunt, Emma Raddish, died at age 92 on February 6, 2010.

Going to Aunt Emma's and Uncle Ted's was always special. Our family usually went there for a holiday party or some other occasion. There was always music, great food, and a house full of people. Aunt Emma was the mover and shaker behind these parties and no one could have asked for a better hostess.

Emma was born Emina Shakan in 1918, in Akron, Ohio, to immigrant parents from Croatia. She grew up in poverty and learned a lesson many such children do, that hard work was the only way to succeed, and succeed she did. Not in a monetary way, perhaps, although her own hard work did lift her from poverty, but in the best way, that of a loving family, a home, and a circle of good friends. She shared her good fortune with others, helping to sponsor other family members to emigrate after World War II, and sending packages of clothing and other goods to family remaining in Europe.

I came to know of these things only much later. Our own lives take up all of our attention and effort so we often don't get to know our slightly distant kin in much depth. That's natural and we should not regret it. At the same time, such family often inhabit the background of our immediate lives in such a way that their loss sharply diminishes the quality of our lives. This is certainly the case with Aunt Emma. Her absence from the world saddens me greatly and makes my own life seems just a little smaller.