Family

Bobby S.

On March 7, 2015 we said goodbye to someone very special.  The first time I met Cousin Bobby was in California when our oldest was tiny.  I remember how welcomed the family made me feel and how friendly Bobby was. My husband, Bobby's cousin, was very close.  Bobby was like the big brother he never had. He talked about him in such a way I felt I already knew him.  I heard of his wild child days, how smart he was, how adventurous.  He was a free spirit, living life to the fullest.

Then his truck was hit by a freight train on a dark country road.  His life was spared, but he would spend the next 23 years learning to live trapped in a body that could no longer take him up cliffs or into those cramped spaces that fearless spelunkers dared to squeeze.

I've been acquainted with Bobby for the past 20 years or so, but really got to spend time with him several summers after Bob's dad bought a house around the corner from Auntie Bea and Bobby.  The Bobby I got to know was kind, patient, and full of love for his family and friends.  He shared a closeness with our kids not common to a second cousin once removed; they called him Uncle Bobby.  I remember the yearly excursions to the Walworth County Fair, walking with him down to the pier where he would watch the kids swim, the late night campfires where we made s'mores and set off fireworks. He took such an interest in our kids and each of them felt a strong connection to him.  He was never too busy to talk with them and hear about school, summer camp and what they were interested in. They spent time sitting with him in his bed, watching t.v. and riding on the back of his motorized wheelchair.

Even in the last week of his life, I saw what a big impact he made on those around him.  His closest friends came to be with him from Oregon and Minnesota just to sit up with him through the night at the hospital. These are people who have shared a loyalty for nearly 40 years. Former aides who had cared for him over the years were more like family and came to say goodbye.  It moved me deeply to know that nearly a dozen loved ones wanted to be by his bedside when the ventilator was removed.  I think he would have been pleased that those who were with him til the end shared in friendship as we told stories and reminisced.  He will be missed.  I am thankful to have known him.  I am also glad my children got to know and love their "Uncle" Bobby.

Those we love remain with us

by Mary Alice Ramish

Those we love remain with us for love itself lives on, 

and cherished memories never fade because a loved one's gone. 

Those we love can never be more than a thought apart, 

for as long as there is memory, they'll live on in the heart.