avanta7 | The changing of the guard begins.

My uncle George passed away Sunday evening.

This is the beginning of the changing of the guard. We are at the age when the people who helped raise us start leaving us behind to carry on in their stead.

Uncle George was married to my father's sister, Geneva. Together they raised four boys, my cousins Jerry, Ed, Georgie and Scott, and had a hand in raising the rest of us through example, guidance, and occasional advice. Uncle George was proud of his boys and doted on his wife. He was gruff and intimidating, loving and stern. He had a smile that covered his whole face. He smelled of tobacco and Old Spice beneath the ever-present aroma of meats and cheeses from the family deli. He worked hard and expected no less from everyone else. He was always quick with a quarter for the soda machine. He loved family gatherings, and his practice of snoring through the football game after a big holiday meal and one Jack & Coke was a family staple. It just wasn't Thanksgiving unless Uncle George was sacked out on the floor of the family room.

His service is Thursday morning in Bakersfield. I'll be leaving in the wee hours that day to make the drive down there.

I wonder who will be next.