The "My Cousin, Wendell", edition.

Good Thursday morning.  I'm sad to say that my cousin Wendell passed away this week. He is the first of my generation to do so.  And this right on the heels of Aunt Jeanette passing. Wendell also lived in southern Ohio, near Yellow Springs...ground zero for the Perry family. I'm older now and some things I remember or barely remember. So if my facts are off, I expect to be corrected. 

Wendell's family lived in Cleveland. We made many trips there. A lot of Thanksgiving holidays. And I'd spend time there just because...like I was there during the Cleveland riot :-o   Anyway. Wendell was the oldest of my three Cleveland cousins. About 10-12 years older than me. He always seemed like a wise big brother. That teased me. Lol but he was always kind....even if he and his slightly younger brother called me Rapunzel....  

Anyway. After he finished college, he and his family left Cleveland and moved to the Yellow Springs /Wilberforce  area and never looked back. After a while he and his family moved to a beautiful house.  What impressed me was the camera at the door to see who was there. This was over 30 years ago!  Yeah, the Perry's have always been technology geeks. He also had a full on apartment in the basement for his mom..kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom and her piano!  And the apartment had a separate entrance. So even when I say the apartment was in the basement, the basement opened up to the backyard. And yes, his mom, my Aunt Dot (95 years old) is still there. 

Wendell was in Las Vegas this past summer for the Omega Psi Phi conclave. He was here pre-conference for board meetings. I believe he was a board member of the 501 c3 arm of Omega Psi Phi. He was ticked off because the airline had delayed his flight by at least 24 hours and missed a full day. He wasn't interested in staying for the rest of the conclave, but he did spend a few days with us!  Yay!  He and Brian got along just great. And the dynamic between me and my older cousin hadn't changed. Rofl. Except my hair is now too short to be called Rapunzel. Heh heh. 

We knew he had been experiencing health challenges and he wasn't shy about letting us know. He also had sight issues, but that didn't stop him. So when his younger sister, Lulu,  notified me late last week that he was in the hospital on life support and she'd be flying to Ohio from Texas, I was devastated. I just broke down I tears..as I am writing this.... Ok. My eyesight got a little blurry there. We'd get updates about his condition...remember my brother lives in Yellow Sorings and he'd call Dad. And Lulu would keep us updated. And my cousin in San Diego kept us updated also.

Our last update was that he had more brain damage than was expected. A few days later we got the notice he had passed. That hit the family hard. My cousin who had just stopped in Las Vegas on his way to San Diego last week is now back on his way to Ohio. When I say our family is close I mean it. 

The dialysis treatment does not allow me to be spontaneous, so I will not be attending the funeral. Yes, it ticks me off. But we got the chance to spend 3 days with him last summer. And we had a great time. He was one of my big brothers. I had no doubt that even though I was his little cousin, I was loved. He was full of life. Liked to tell stories and loved to laugh. He will be missed. Anyone who had the opportunity to be a part of his life his richer because of him. Love you, cousin.