2004 Reunion with Uncle Ernie

This is a photo or my wife, Mimi, Uncle Ernie and Me at the 2004 reunion.Ernie was my father's younger brother. It dawned on me, late in the reunions, that my Dad was 11 when Ernie was born. This was how old I was when my Dad was killed. After the 2004 reunion I had him tell me what he remembered about my Dad. He told me many things I didn't know. I just wish we had talked much earlier. He passed away in 2011 at the age of 91. One of the stories he told me was very interesting. He served as a pharmacist during WWII in New Guinea. He returned home with a Colonel he served with. During the trip home the Colonel told him if he ever needed a job, the Colonel would hire him. He liked his work ethic and abilities. Turns out that Colonel was Charles (Chuck) Mayo, son of one of the founders of Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Upon discharge, Ernie returned to the mines and worked there until retirement.