This past 2 months, I decided I wanted to start collecting family stories, starting with Bumpa. He was always full of different tales and adventures, as he talked to everyone and always wanted to share. He was so eager and willing to tell me things, and while I couldn’t see him in person, we set up a FaceTime date to talk. He was very particular about doing his hair and looking nice for the meeting. He told me as much about his life story as he could as the hours flew by. Talking about helping his dad build a scuba suit out of a metal bin, his upbringing with his eclectic family members, his work with NASA. Throughout this, he constantly told me how proud he was of all of us and sung praises of everyone in his story.
I interviewed him a second time after that as well. In the middle of it he stopped to ask Roxie for a microwaved Sprite, which I made a face to. It sounded disgusting. We then had a whole conversation about McDonald’s Sprite and how it tastes way more sharp and bubbly. He told me a story about how he had one on the way to a doctors appointment and could hardly finish it because of it’s intensity—and I quote “I took a sip and it almost knocked me out of the car!” We laughed. He did end up asking Roxie not to microwave it because of me. He was someone full of adventure and teachings and tales, but he was also someone I knew I could always trust and laugh with. He could be intense at times, but that is what I love and admire most about him: his deep love for life, people, and experiences.