75 Years? Hmm…given I am probably your oldest nephew (Prentice anyway), this one has me thinking a lot. Lee, we live 2300 miles apart, but one thing that I always remember is the joy I and the rest of your brother’s family had when we knew you were visiting out our direction.
I can remember one visit in the mid 90’s where you pulled one over on my brother and I while in a restaurant in East Lansing, MI. We were all there moving your parents – my grandparents. Somehow you concocted (with your brother – Dad, going along) a scheme where you had every waitress in the place stop and ask us if there was anything else we needed (this is a college town I might point out). I believe something like fifteen different waitresses were pouring over us throughout the night, as an obvious attempt to embarrass me and my brother Kevin. What made it even more interesting were the fuming customers around us that were not getting served at all! You and Dad (Clarence) were loving every minute of it!
Another episode occurred when your family and ours were visiting your folks in Okemos, MI sometime in the 1980’s I believe. We were sitting down to a somewhat fancy dinner in the dining room…a dinner your mother had spent plenty of time putting together along with her best china. Everyone was minding their manners when someone asked you to pass the potatoes. You literally threw a baked potato to everyone on the table! I was speechless…and really worried how your mother was going to react! To my surprise, she took it in stride. It must have been something she had seen before?
One event we will never forget is the many days you, along with Susan, spent with our family back in 2006 when we really needed the support. Your help, guidance, and being there when it counted really made the difference in our time of sorrow. My mother and my family thank you!
I certainly would have loved to attend your 75th as would the rest of our family. We’ll just have to make it up to you. Happy birthday!
Kirk Prentice