Friday OT - It's All Relative
- Thread starter Angie
- Start date
Don't really have any that were hated thankfully...had an uncle who we hardly ever saw when I was younger...apparently his wife hated the family (no known reason as I find my family to be pretty great) and basically wouldn't let him do anything.
His wife died suddenly, and he became a much bigger part of the family, including a couple of trips I went on with him. He passed from cancer a few years ago, and I was thankful that he was able to have a bit of a 'rebirth' of sorts to spend the last few years of his life more involved with family and that I got to know him.
The most odd thing is I never met his wife, and have hardly ever met his children, and have only seen them at funerals. I don't even think I'd recognize them if I saw them in public.
His wife died suddenly, and he became a much bigger part of the family, including a couple of trips I went on with him. He passed from cancer a few years ago, and I was thankful that he was able to have a bit of a 'rebirth' of sorts to spend the last few years of his life more involved with family and that I got to know him.
The most odd thing is I never met his wife, and have hardly ever met his children, and have only seen them at funerals. I don't even think I'd recognize them if I saw them in public.
I went with most interesting.
My father-in-law was a pretty remarkable man. He was born and raised in China. His father was a prominent figure in the government until Communism came in. After that happened, his father and family were basically considered supporters of the old regime and a threat to the new ways. He would tell stories of escaping out of the back of their house one night, while his neighbors would get pulled out into the streets and shot.
For a short time, his mother would provide for the family by winning money playing mah jongg. To this day, my wife's entire family is merciless at that game.
My FIL joined the military in China and became a surgeon. He ended up being part of the team that performed the first successful heart transplant in China. Years later, he immigrated to the US and studied medicine in New York City. He would send any money he made back home to support his family while owning "one damn pair of pants" himself.
He earned his medical degree, met his future wife, and then moved to Illinois and opened his own practice. He then joined the US Air Force and worked as a surgeon, being stationed in TX, NV, then back in TX, before eventually moving back to Illinois to re-open his practice and raise his family.
He passed away 7 years ago after a heart attack and a bout with leukemia. I miss the man and his stories. I hope to make a trip to China in the next five years to help my wife trace her family ancestry since there is very little record right now, and the language barrier is not easy to overcome.
My father-in-law was a pretty remarkable man. He was born and raised in China. His father was a prominent figure in the government until Communism came in. After that happened, his father and family were basically considered supporters of the old regime and a threat to the new ways. He would tell stories of escaping out of the back of their house one night, while his neighbors would get pulled out into the streets and shot.
For a short time, his mother would provide for the family by winning money playing mah jongg. To this day, my wife's entire family is merciless at that game.
My FIL joined the military in China and became a surgeon. He ended up being part of the team that performed the first successful heart transplant in China. Years later, he immigrated to the US and studied medicine in New York City. He would send any money he made back home to support his family while owning "one damn pair of pants" himself.
He earned his medical degree, met his future wife, and then moved to Illinois and opened his own practice. He then joined the US Air Force and worked as a surgeon, being stationed in TX, NV, then back in TX, before eventually moving back to Illinois to re-open his practice and raise his family.
He passed away 7 years ago after a heart attack and a bout with leukemia. I miss the man and his stories. I hope to make a trip to China in the next five years to help my wife trace her family ancestry since there is very little record right now, and the language barrier is not easy to overcome.
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Took me a while to think of my weird old aunt who used to go down south to quacks who had been booted out of the AMA. They peeled off the end of her eyelids (at least that's what it looked like after the "surgery"), "exchanged" her "old" blood for "new", and also gave her coffee enemas.
I guess the caffeine going directly into your bloodstream like that would give you a boost...
At any rate, she lived to be 92.
Then again, without all those "procedures", she might have made it to 100.
I guess the caffeine going directly into your bloodstream like that would give you a boost...
At any rate, she lived to be 92.
Then again, without all those "procedures", she might have made it to 100.
We mostly just have the normal family issues (stuff with in-laws and what not) and issues with a family farm that is split up/partially owned by one of the grand kids. My mom's side of the family has a yearly reunion. One of her cousins that is kind of a little "off" showed up one time in a beat up RV. So one of her other cousins called him cousin Eddy to his face. Everybody including him laughed. To this day I don't know his real name, just cousin Eddy.
Wow. What a life. That is interesting.
My father-in-law has a mustache and frequently wins at meat raffles.
My grandpa was the city planner for Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He was probably the most interesting person I ever knew. He also designed some golf courses, such a Braemar Golf Course in Edina, MN.
http://current.mnsun.com/2014/03/17/the-man-who-shaped-the-southwest-metro/
http://current.mnsun.com/2014/03/17/the-man-who-shaped-the-southwest-metro/
Had a great uncle who I never met. My dad always said he would drink anything that bubbled, burned, or stank and ate anything that didn't eat him first. Died at the ripe old age of 35.
The only living sibling of my parents, my dad's sister, had a heart of gold, but when we stayed at her house, her breakfasts were never done. Runny eggs, no matter how she cooked them. One of my brothers threw up eating her undercooked pancakes.
The only living sibling of my parents, my dad's sister, had a heart of gold, but when we stayed at her house, her breakfasts were never done. Runny eggs, no matter how she cooked them. One of my brothers threw up eating her undercooked pancakes.
Got one who's been married a few times, couldn't write a sentence correctly no matter how much they tried, and is pierced up.
And is just 23.
And is just 23.
Never met him but my mom claims she has an uncle that lives in the mountains of Switzerland that yodels and eats egg shells. That qualifies for crazy in my book.
My grandparents, my grandfather in particular, are pretty funny. They have two small dogs, a yippy breed. They dress them in raincoats to take them outside in the rain, wake up multiple times in the night to full-on walk them, and make them a pound of hamburger every day.
Grandpa missed my daughter's first birthday party and baptism because he didn't want to leave the dogs for more than an hour, and they didn't have a good dogsitter. I was less impressed and amused.
Grandpa missed my daughter's first birthday party and baptism because he didn't want to leave the dogs for more than an hour, and they didn't have a good dogsitter. I was less impressed and amused.
Good:
My great grandfather is a well known paleontologist from back in the late 1800's. Worked with O.C. Marsh. When at Princeton he led two separate scientific expeditions to Patagonia where he was nearly killed by local tribes and from exposure. Family legend is that on the passage down he won too much cash from the crew on the ship and was threatened - but pulled a small revolver at the last minute to keep both his life and his winnings.
He was at Princeton University and then with Carnegie in Pittsburgh where he died young (about 41) about 1904. Our family was invited to an unveiling/naming ceremony of a mock-up, of the triceratops made from one of his digs, in 2001 at the Smithsonian in DC.
Bad:
Have an uncle on my Dad's side who is/was pretty weird and a bully to us when we were growing up. Would grab us by the arms and twist the skin in opposite directions - hurt like hell. He would also grab us by the back of the neck, squeeze, then push us to the ground. No reason, just being himself: an a-hole. Haven't seen him since my Dad's funeral in the late 1990's. He's going to be 90 and my father died at 73 - so "only the good die young" rings true.
My great grandfather is a well known paleontologist from back in the late 1800's. Worked with O.C. Marsh. When at Princeton he led two separate scientific expeditions to Patagonia where he was nearly killed by local tribes and from exposure. Family legend is that on the passage down he won too much cash from the crew on the ship and was threatened - but pulled a small revolver at the last minute to keep both his life and his winnings.
He was at Princeton University and then with Carnegie in Pittsburgh where he died young (about 41) about 1904. Our family was invited to an unveiling/naming ceremony of a mock-up, of the triceratops made from one of his digs, in 2001 at the Smithsonian in DC.
Bad:
Have an uncle on my Dad's side who is/was pretty weird and a bully to us when we were growing up. Would grab us by the arms and twist the skin in opposite directions - hurt like hell. He would also grab us by the back of the neck, squeeze, then push us to the ground. No reason, just being himself: an a-hole. Haven't seen him since my Dad's funeral in the late 1990's. He's going to be 90 and my father died at 73 - so "only the good die young" rings true.
My MIL is nutters. She has several diagnosed disorders and she is spotty at best at taking her meds for them. Over the 8 years of our marriage she's come and gone from our lives about 4 times. Each time she shows back up, convinces my wife shes changed, and then ends up doing something horrible to us. Highlights from the MIL are: wishing her daughter (my wife) were dead; constant threats of suicide; threats to sue us into financial ruin in order to get the rights to see her grandkids; and, veiled threats of showing up to my son's second birthday party to shoot me, my mother, and my father, but she'd let my brother live cause he didn't really like me. Luckily she is now out of the picture and it seems like it'll stick this time.
My wife's great grandma lived to 108. 1904-2012. Her husband died in like the 60's of natural causes and she never remarried. Her main job in her life was playing the piano live in movie theatres for the silent pictures.
People like that who live nearly two lives are fascinating to me.
People like that who live nearly two lives are fascinating to me.
Great unlce was a movie editor and later an associate producer. Worked on many John Wayne movies and produced Rawhide. Only met him once when I was much younger. Wish I could have gotten some stories out of him but I was still only 12 by the time he died.
My mother-in-law is the devil herself. Said in front of both my husband and me that she just doesn't love our kids as much as her other grandkids.
I think it was really a miscalculated manipulation effort to get us to go see her more often but it had a reverse effect and even my husband doesn't ever want to go. But she really has very little interest in our kids, which is fine because she is horrible and they are now old enough to handle the fact that their only living grandparent plays favorites. Always thought she played favorites with her own kids and neglected my husband as well; probably the reason he is the only one that turned out ok.
When we got married, my husband had the bright idea to tell her I was keeping my own last name, she said she would call me by my "married" name anyway.
When our oldest was born, she came to visit and would keep me up all night because she wanted to hold the baby instead of laying him in the bassinet and I wasn't going to bed with some crazy old lady staying up all night holding my baby.
When I went back to work, she told me I was a terrible mother for letting a stranger raise my son. When I had more kids and went to part time, she said I was a terrible wife for decreasing the family income. When I had more kids and became a full time mom, she again told me I was a terrible wife for putting the full burden of family income on my husband. Clearly a no win situation. And even though my husband and I made each decision together, it was always my fault.
She came to visit when my oldest two had Little League games and they were all excited that she could watch them play. Instead she went shopping for gifts for her other grandkids that live a few blocks away from her. She came for one of their First Communions and when my son was getting ready to open his gifts, she left to go get gifts for the other grandkids.
I once caught her actually trying to convince one of the kids that they really loved her more than their other grandma.
When my turd brother-in-law knocked up his then 15 year old girlfriend and she got an abortion, she blamed the girl's mother because she worked during the day, providing them an empty house for sex.
She only calls my husband when she wants something, usually legal advice even though she lives in a different country.
Before we got married, we went to visit and she kept referring to a shop owner by a term I didn't know. I finally asked my husband what it meant. It was a slur term for a Jewish person. She also likes to throw around racial slurs.
I could go on and on more than I already have. Every day I thank God she lives a ten hour drive away.
I think it was really a miscalculated manipulation effort to get us to go see her more often but it had a reverse effect and even my husband doesn't ever want to go. But she really has very little interest in our kids, which is fine because she is horrible and they are now old enough to handle the fact that their only living grandparent plays favorites. Always thought she played favorites with her own kids and neglected my husband as well; probably the reason he is the only one that turned out ok.When we got married, my husband had the bright idea to tell her I was keeping my own last name, she said she would call me by my "married" name anyway.
When our oldest was born, she came to visit and would keep me up all night because she wanted to hold the baby instead of laying him in the bassinet and I wasn't going to bed with some crazy old lady staying up all night holding my baby.
When I went back to work, she told me I was a terrible mother for letting a stranger raise my son. When I had more kids and went to part time, she said I was a terrible wife for decreasing the family income. When I had more kids and became a full time mom, she again told me I was a terrible wife for putting the full burden of family income on my husband. Clearly a no win situation. And even though my husband and I made each decision together, it was always my fault.
She came to visit when my oldest two had Little League games and they were all excited that she could watch them play. Instead she went shopping for gifts for her other grandkids that live a few blocks away from her. She came for one of their First Communions and when my son was getting ready to open his gifts, she left to go get gifts for the other grandkids.
I once caught her actually trying to convince one of the kids that they really loved her more than their other grandma.
When my turd brother-in-law knocked up his then 15 year old girlfriend and she got an abortion, she blamed the girl's mother because she worked during the day, providing them an empty house for sex.
She only calls my husband when she wants something, usually legal advice even though she lives in a different country.
Before we got married, we went to visit and she kept referring to a shop owner by a term I didn't know. I finally asked my husband what it meant. It was a slur term for a Jewish person. She also likes to throw around racial slurs.
I could go on and on more than I already have. Every day I thank God she lives a ten hour drive away.
I also have a relative in Bastogne Belgium that used dynamite to sabotage the Nazis when they were occupying the city in WWII. He was caught by the Gestapo and executed, but my ancestor was revered for his acts. There's a statue with his name on it as well as a street with our last name.
Holy crap Cooler. Your family is awesome.
One of my grandpas didn't get drafted during WWII because he was considered indispensable to the homefront as an expert on livestock. No statue for that.
my maternal grandfather, was in the navy for 30 years. Retired a cw4, and was in charge of ship maintenance.
Had an 8th grade education, grew up one of 8 siblings.
Refused a full commission because a promotion from a warrant officer to a lieutenant would have greatly decreased his pay.
Was a part of the carrier group that was escorting the Enterprise home the day that pearl harbor was bombed. His group was one of the first from the outside to reach pearl harbor. He never talked much about it in detail, but I can't imagine the horrors he saw that day.
During his career was on two different ships that were sunk by the Japanese. Told a story about how he had to keep an injured crew mate afloat for two days before he was pulled from the sea. He had tons of stories about characters he served with, and all of the strange initiations that went on aboard ship. That was a different generation for sure.
Had an 8th grade education, grew up one of 8 siblings.
Refused a full commission because a promotion from a warrant officer to a lieutenant would have greatly decreased his pay.
Was a part of the carrier group that was escorting the Enterprise home the day that pearl harbor was bombed. His group was one of the first from the outside to reach pearl harbor. He never talked much about it in detail, but I can't imagine the horrors he saw that day.
During his career was on two different ships that were sunk by the Japanese. Told a story about how he had to keep an injured crew mate afloat for two days before he was pulled from the sea. He had tons of stories about characters he served with, and all of the strange initiations that went on aboard ship. That was a different generation for sure.
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