My Cousin Greg

Earlier this week, my cousin Greg passed away. Greg had been dealing with serious health issues for the last few years, including a coma at one point, so the news didn't come out of the blue. Having said that though, it was well before his time, and I think I speak for everyone in my family when I say we'll truly miss him. Marilu, Lucas, and I have a trip to Massachusetts planned for July, and one of the main things that went through my mind after I heard the news is that I wish I would have been able to have one last conversation with him. I'm also sad that Lucas will never get a chance to know him better. During our last couple of visits, you could tell that Greg was always delighted to see Lucas, and Lucas really liked seeing him. It probably didn't hurt that Greg always showed up with creative and thoughtful gifts for the little guy!

I spent some time this afternoon going through all of my photos from our past vacations to Massachusetts and found some great shots of Greg that I'd like to share. I hope you enjoy seeing a side of Greg that not many people got to experience.

Back in October 2007, just a few months after Lucas was born, my mom threw a party for Lucas at The Lodge in Webster. This is the first picture we ever took of Lucas and Greg.

A couple of months later, we returned to spend Christmas with my mom and Kevin. During a family photo, Greg showed off his goofy side.

During our annual summer trip to Massachusetts in 2010, Lucas got his first fishing pole, and Greg showed him how to catch kivers off the dock.

Here's some more from that trip. I think it's plain to see how much Lucas loved "Cousin Greg."

Jumping ahead to our summer trip in 2011, Greg brought Lucas a whole bag of gifts. Suffice to say the rugrat was overjoyed with that!

For what it's worth, Lucas was playing that Scooby-Doo game this past weekend with a friend so it has definitely stood the test of time.

My favorite picture from that summer has to be this one. I don't think Lucas really understands what happened yet, but when he does, I know he's really going to miss Greg.

Unfortunately, we only took two photos with Greg during our last visit in 2012, but I'm so thankful one of them was a good one of just the two of us. As you can see in the photo with Lucas, Greg bestowed upon him another gift, this time a computerized telescope that will last Lucas for many years to come.

One of the things going through my mind right now is the gifts Greg bought for Lucas. I alluded to it at the beginning of this blog post, but I wanted to reiterate that Greg put a lot of thought into the gifts he bought Lucas. I'm as guilty as anyone of just grabbing the first action figure I see when I want to surprise Lucas, but Greg would ask questions of Marilu and I as to Lucas's interests, and even after Lucas opened them, Greg would worriedly wonder, "Is that good? Will he like that?" As much as Greg could be a gruff personality at times, below that was a very caring individual who absolutely lit up while watching Lucas fish, swim, or just play at his feet.

It's no secret that I'm not a religious person, and I have no idea what happens when a person dies. However, what I do know is that I am going to miss my cousin Greg. There's a permanent hole somewhere inside of me--as well as for many of you reading, I suspect--now that he is gone.

Next week, I'll be traveling down to Massachusetts for his memorial service, and while I think there will be plenty of tears shed, I'm sure there will be a lot of laughter as well since that's the way Greg would want it. It won't be too hard to imagine him, maybe a little younger, maybe a little slimmer, kicking back in one of the chairs with a cigarette in one hand and an adult beverage of some variety in the other, wondering just what the hell we're getting so worked up about. As far as I'm concerned, there are a lot worse ways to be remembered.

Rest in Peace, Greg. We'll always miss you.