Karl Lucker--October 3, 1881-March 31, 1976

So, it has been 40 years today since my grandfather, who we called Grandpop, passed away.  Grandpop was my father's father, and he died when he was 95 years old.  I was 14.


My grandfather, Karl Lucker, had been a pretty steady influence in my life.  He lived with us (so there were 9 of us in a very small house), when I was very young, and I remember he used to take us for walks, and show us how to pare a potato, and how to put butter  on bread--life skills.   He would take us for walks to the local A&P, and he always insisted we pick out and use a walking stick on these trips.   I now realize that these walks were never more than 1/2 mile away from our house, but it seemed far to us.  How funny we must have looked....6 children under the age of 10, and an old man of 85 walking down the street with walking sticks.....to go to the store!

He was a huge advocate of physical exercise.  It seems funny now, but back then, he seemed odd because he was such an advocate of physical activity....He was always telling me and my family about the importance of physical activity.   Years before it became popular to exercise.    And for a person in the 1960's, he was violently opposed to drinking and smoking.  Not because of religious reasons, but because he thought it was bad for you the way we know now it is bad for you.  But no one thought smoking was bad for anyone in the late 1960's.

 He had been born in what became Germany in 1881, and came to the United States when he was a teenager.    He taught us all how to say the Our Father in German. He spoke 13 languages very well.  He and a group of old men used to come to our house to play Pinochle, and they all spoke different native languages to each other.     He was proud to be from Germany, and said (thousands of times), that we should always do not as hard as we could do, but harder.  He said German soldiers didn't walk as long as they could, they walked longer.   You get it...do a little more than you can do.    He made a big deal about never kissing anyone on the lips except for family members because of germs.  Of course, we all thought he was nuts. Now I think he was brilliant.

He got married when he was older, and had his children older.  He was 48 when my father was born, which when I realized that in my early teens, it seemed incredibly old to become a father at age 48 for the last time, and for the first time at age 40.   He was older than my grandmother, who was born in 1893, and died in 1953, of breast cancer.   I never met my grandmother, but my Aunt Lucille always talked about how wonderful she was.

My grandparents had four children.  Ottilie (1920?), Lucille (1922), then Helen (1924), then later, my father was born.  My Aunt Ottilie, who my grandfather loved dearly, died at age 16 of Ewing's Sarcoma.   I remember feeling bad that he seemed so sad about it after 40 years, and I vaguely remember thinking it was time for him not to feel so bad about it.  Now I understand why he got sad talking about her, even 40 years later.  It must have ripped out his heart, even 40 years later, thinking of his little girl who had been the first in her class at Holy Angels, but who then got sick, and had a leg amputated, and then she died.   But he frequently talked about her.

My grandfather was "rich" by the rest of my family's standards.  He was a hairdresser.  He was not a barber, he would tell me, because he did both men and women's hair.   He had a shop in the Bellevue, and did the rich people's hair.  I think he must have done okay, considering it was during the Depression, because I guess people always need to get their hair cut.    He loved his children, but especially my father.  And I would have to say that he especially loved me, because I was good, and respectful, and did what I was told to do.  

When he died, he was 95.   I don't know that I ever thought he would actually die, because he had always been so old to me.     He had been living in New Bern, North Carolina with a caretaker, who we called Miss Lucinda.  Miss Lucinda was a little bit eccentric, and she had never been married, and although she took care of my very elderly grandfather, she herself was around 70 years old.  She had a dog named Calpernia who she spoke of as if she were a sister...."Calpernia did this", or "Calpernia did this."

Anyway, it has been 40 years today that my Grandfather died, and I think of him, and do things he would have done, all the time.  Thinking of you today, Grandpop!

Happy Easter!! March 27, 2016!

This was just a great Easter....family, friends, and lots of food!  I got up before anyone else got up, and ran over to our gym to do some laps...the water was beautiful...it seemed like this was going to be a great day!!

I got home early, and the Easter Bunny had visited:

After my traditional Easter breakfast (which my children say that whenever I call something my "traditional--anything", it means we don't really do it as a tradition), we went to church at Immaculate.  After that, we waited for my niece, Caitlin, to come down from New York.   We met Joseph and his girl friend, Emma, at the Blue Bell Inn for a late brunch.    I love that place!  The food was way too good, and it was nice to not have to cook/clean up on Easter.

Later, around dinner, we headed over for a gathering at Theresa and Joe's family.   It was nice, because we could sit outside, and all the younger people were hanging out outside, which is kind of nice around here in late March.   Also, it was wonderful to be around such nice, kind people for a late Easter dinner!   All in all, a great Easter Day!!!

Happy Spring--March 20, 2016!

Happy Spring, 2016!  For the second year in a row, it was also a cold, sleeting day in Philadelphia,.  Happily, by Saturday morning the snow storm they were predicting was going to happen  instead pretty much went out to sea, and we just had cold temperatures and some sleet this afternoon.  Which is also good, because we went to Anna's second Manny Flick Regatta race on the Schuylkill, which would be hard in a snowstorm......

And, of course, it is Rita's free Water Ice Day!  You know our kids are growing up...we only went to three different Rita's today.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! March 17, 2016

This is what the "Leprachaun Man" brought to our house today...always happy when he comes to visit!!   Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Goodbye to Jack--March 12th, 2016

Jack got home early Sunday morning from Notre Dame, and left early Saturday morning to go back to Notre Dame.   It was a great week to be home, because it went up to 82 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, which is apparently the warmest and earliest it has ever hit that temperature in Philadelphia, ever.

It looks like Chris is crying...he isn't.  

   We have to leave very early to get him to his friend's house for the trip back...morning sun!

All, in all, I think he had a nice Spring Break. Maybe not as exciting as one in Florida or Cancun, but it was good to have him back.   It will be awhile before we see him again!

Aunt Phyllis--March 1, 2016

I know I wrote about my Aunt Phyllis last year, on this date, which is her birthday.  See here.   But I wanted to do it again, because I miss her.

I always told her March 1st is my favorite day of the year, which it is.  But not because it is her birthday, but because I feel like the long national nightmare (i.e. Winter), is on its way out...even though it can last for another two months around here, it is on its way out.   That is why April 1st was her favorite day of the year (and not because it is my cousin's birthday, which I think he thought.) Because, to her, the cold weather was on its way out.

Aunt Phyllis hated the cold.  She became thin as she got older (unlike me...), and she was always cold.   I remember her coming to Anna's dance recital in June, and she was wearing a black wool cape.   Outside.  It was at least 90 degrees.  It was absurd.  It was embarrassing, really, because people were all wearing cotton dresses, and sweating, and she was outside, wearing a wool full-length cape.  Needless to say, it attracted some attention.    I asked her to please remove the wool cape, and she said "no, I am cold."   So, that was that.

Anyway, I miss my Aunt Phyllis.  I think of her often.  I wish she were here to help with some things that need help.   And she probably knows what that means.   She strongly believed in the afterlife.

My aunt told me the story that when she was young, she lived in a row home in Philadelphia, and next door lived a lovely German couple, who never had children of their own.  Miss Frank loved my aunt when Aunt Phyllis was a little girl.  Miss Frank always said that when Aunt Phyllis had her first child, she would come to help my Aunt Phyllis with the baby.  My aunt loved Miss Frank, and was devastated when Miss Frank died when my aunt was just a teenager.

Miss Frank must have known that my aunt would need help with the baby, because Aunt Phyllis got married at 16, and had my cousin, Greg, a year later.  At age almost 18, but still 17.    One night, when Greg was just a baby, still in a bassinet at the bottom of the bed, she woke up one night, and saw Miss Frank staring down at the baby, smiling.  My aunt said nothing, then Miss Frank looked at my aunt, and smiled.

I can remember being terrified of this when I was young, but when I asked my aunt if she was afraid when she saw Miss Frank, she said simply "no, I loved Miss Frank."     She told me that story several times when I was young, and she absolutely believed that it was Miss Frank there, looking down at the baby Miss Frank said she would come and help my aunt with someday.

So, if my Aunt Phyllis is listening, I hope she realizes that there is someone in my extended family who could use a little visit from her.   She loved her, and she really loved her family, and this family could use a little help from Aunt Phyllis right now.