Uncle Joe was one of my Mom’s older brothers. He was very very funny, he loved to drink, and he did a short stint in the Navy, but was never in a war. He nearly burned the family house down as a child, and as an adult he worked in the insurance industry, at one point, as a fire inspector. Uncle Joe died over 20 years ago.
Tonight I learned about a whole other side of Uncle Joe that I knew nothing about. All the cousins were gathered for Uncle Jim’s wake, and we were talking about our parents. My cousin, Uncle Joe’s son, described the time when two mobsters from Springfield took him aside and started telling him how amazed they were by his father. They told him over and over again, that his father was a very tough guy. My cousin agreed with them, because it was true, and also because, what else do you do? As they were walking away, my cousin’s wife asked him who those guys were. “They are hardened killers and they are afraid of my Dad.” he said.
LOL 🙂 Never underestimate a man who works in insurance 🙂
ST UnWoked & UnVaxxed! 
A wonderful remembrance, JaC!
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Thanks, Nanda 🙂
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I’d say working in insurance is the perfect cover. It’s something nobody wants to be curious about!
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Lol 🙂
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Whoa!!!
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Uncle Joe was a character 🙂
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Did he attempt to burn his childhood home for the insurance money? If so, he was ahead of the game and born to the mobster lifestyle.
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LOL 🙂 My Uncle Joe was not a mobster! He just knew mobsters, because he spent a great deal of time hanging out in bars. He was, if I remember correctly, about 4 when he almost burned the house down. I am pretty sure that he was playing with marches.
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“That’s my story, officer, and I’m sticking to it.”
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LOL 🙂 If you knew Uncle Joe, Simon, you would not be talking like this. If the two of you got in a fight, I honestly, seriously do not know who would win. Don’t mess with Uncle Joe, or else you will find yourself grappling with him when you get to heaven 🙂
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