Played: 12 | Download | Duration: 00:03:25

It seems to me that Don grew up as the peace-maker, the leavening factor, in the midst of a large household of sometimes contentious siblings -- all sisters -- plus a bombastic mother and an understated father who more than anything else wanted quiet. So it's no wonder that Don, a warm, smiling, athletic guy, was drawn to my dad Louie Popp as the husband of sister Marge. After all, Louie may have been the most laid-back man on the planet and always ready for an outing to the rugged Oregon coast or a fishing trip on some pristine Eastern Oregon lake.

And then came WW II, where my Uncle Don made headlines with a unique shower he rigged on the back of a truck for his Army buddies. And when he came home from the war, I was smitten with this handsome guy, the first man in a uniform I ever saw and who talked to me like a was a real person -- although I was only 11.


But from then on I didn't see much of him, just big holiday gatherings at Gramma Brown's. And after she passed that ended. So it had been years since I'd seen him when we spoke at my dad's memorial in '94. But he showed the same warm feelings as ever. And then he phoned me a couple years ago and we had a marvelous conversation -- he reminisced about me as a kid and about my mom and dad. He even told me how much they and I had meant to him throughout his life.

Bottom line, I loved my Uncle Don! And I'm so glad I got to see him at Christmas. He still looked like Don and laughed like Don -- that was precious! And so was being so warmly welcomed into the family by his bubbly daughter Bonnie.