Delane

Last night the phone rang and on the other end was my niece with some bad news to share—Delane, her dad and my brother, had just passed away. He has been ill for a while, but none of us suspected that the end of his life was that near.

There were only two of us children in our original family, and our father died when we were young. My mother struggled to keep us fed, clothed, and headed for more education and opportunities than she ever had. For many years, it was the three of us.

As the younger sister, it was my lot in life to be the inferior player of games such as monopoly, ping pong, and football. I remember (in addition to losing all the time) a few particular incidents.

One was the stupidity and disobedience of a younger sister who did not listen when she was told to stay behind the brother and his friend as they threw small pocket knives at a paper target. Instead, I ran to pick up one of the knives just as my brother threw his, which ended up stuck in my leg. No permanent damage was done, but I did carry a scar most of my life reminding me to listen when I was told something important.

Another particular memory I have, is that of playing pitch and catch with a football (or whatever you call throwing and catching that kind of ball). I, of course, could not pass very well so we were not standing far apart. Delane was some years older than I and a male, so he could throw much harder—especially at that short distance. He threw and I caught—right in the middle of my body. I fell straight over backwards with much of the air knocked out of me. I thought I was dying. I couldn’t breathe. That was the end of my football career.

My other memory is that of Sunday afternoons years later when my big brother “allowed” me to help clean and shine his ’56 red/white Chevrolet. If you aren’t old enough to remember those days, a ‘56 Chevy was just about the greatest car ever made. Some people mistakenly think that the ’57 was cooler, but no, I mean it—the ’56 was the coolest car ever by far. Even that being true, however, I did not like to wash, wax, and vacuum that car or any car (I still don’t). I think that might be a guy thing.

My brother went off to college and married, and I eventually went the other direction to college and also married. His kids and my kids were darling and were the apple of their grandmother’s eye. Some years ago, she was privileged to join her husband and friends in eternity. We all missed her.

Last summer, we celebrated Delane and Karen’s 50th wedding anniversary at Lake Sarah, their second home. They had been RVers for many years and loved camping and their fellow campers. Some months later, we sadly gathered to bury their grandson following a terrible tragedy. And, now, we will gather once again to say goodbye to what was left of my original family.

For many years, Delane was a banker. For more years, he was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. For even more years than that, he was a big brother.