Uncle Art

"Hello, my brother!"

Those words came out of my Mom's mouth every time my Uncle Art came to our house for his weekly visit.  He is my mother's oldest brother. 

 A.B.,  Brother Art,  The Incomparable A.B.,  The Silver Fox....these are a few of his nicknames over the years.  And more recently, "Grandpa Art", because his role is like that of a doting grandfather....interested in all of us, filled with pride because of us.

 The love he has for our family is so obvious.  He makes sure he's at every birthday party, holiday gathering, and still continues his weekly visits to his brother in law, my Dad.  His weekly phone calls to check in are something I really look forward to.  And more often than not, his words of praise of me and my family have come at times when I really needed to hear them.

Saturday night we got together to celebrate his 80th birthday.  At one point in the night he got up to say a few words.  In typical fashion, he directed the attention away from himself and commented on what a wonderful family my Mom and Dad raised and how flattered he was that we'd go to the trouble to remember him this way.  He complimented us on what a close-knit family we were and that he's proud to be a part of it.

 As I've mentioned before, my writing skills are lacking and I'm not able to relay the feelings I have in my heart for him, but I hope he knows how loved he is and how proud we are to have him in our family.

Here are a few pictures from Saturday night.

Uncle Art

My Dad, my sister Mary Grace, brother Jim, Uncle Art, me, brother John, and brother Bob in front.

spouses added

Uncle Art with 13 of his 15 grand nieces and nephews donning the many hats he's given over the years.

Happy Birthday Uncle Art!! We love you!