Sleuthing...

A few weeks ago, I called my elderly maternal uncle. Coming into his life when he was in his teens, he has always treated me like another daughter and despite pronounced differences in our politics and worldview, he is kind and shows it. So during the conversation when he indicated a desire to once again be in contact with his first wife's remaining family in the UK, I jumped at the opportunity to help. 

His first wife he met in England in the very early sixties while stationed there in the US Air Force. The two met on a double date. She was in the Royal Air Force at the time but dating and falling in love promised her a different fate than that to which she originally aspired. Just a month after their wedding in England, my uncle and his new bride found themselves stateside at a new assignment in South Carolina, where in late May of 1965, a ginger-haired boy arrived, becoming despite a six-year age difference, a favorite cousin to me. Originally from Scotland, his mother was a petite redhead and he her spitting image. Five years and many duty stations later, a cute brunette with her father's eyes was born in Japan, making the family complete. Unfortunately, their mother would see neither child into adulthood because she died of cancer at age 39 in 1981.

Nomadic as life could be for military folks, my uncle always made and maintained friendships and kept in contact with his wife's family, even visiting them well into a second marriage that has now spanned almost forty years.

Those who know me well also know of my penchant for sleuthing, so all uncle had to do was say he wanted to find someone and I was immediately intrigued. With the correct name and location, which wasn't what he told me originally, I was able to track down this sister-in-law via a bowler's group Facebook page for her locale. The detailed personal message I left was seen by a friend of hers in the group and once one of the daughters in that family contacted me via email, I supplied uncle's current information and he got a working phone number and called, just in time for this woman's seventy-fifth birthday. Both were tickled and photos have since been exchanged. 

Looking at a photo of this woman reminded me so much of my cousins' mother that tears welled for a bit. I went through my albums recently and found just a few snaps of my boy cousin who has sadly been gone since 1989, sending them to the UK online.
A favorite is below. Cheers and stay well.