Thanks Uncle Conrad

My Uncle Conrad is one of my dad’s (if I’m not mistaken) nine brothers. He is also what I consider to be our family’s leading historian and I would like to thank him dearly for that. Every family reunion, year after year, would find him with video camera in hand. You couldn’t escape Uncle Conrad. Whether you wanted to be videotaped or not…you were. He filmed everything but it wasn’t just images and motion on film he captured, it was much more. With his narration and ongoing comments he allowed us to understand and have an everlasting view into a loved ones soul. Recently I had the opportunity to see for myself some of his videotapes and words cannot express what it's meant to me personally to see my dad’s smile and hear his voice once again. Knowing that I’ll always have moments of my dad’s life on film is very comforting. Shortly after his passing my sister told me that she feared as time went on we would forget the little things about dad, important every day things that made him who he was to us. I understood that fear because no matter how much you love someone time does have a cruel way of fading and dimming treasured memories. Thanks to my dear uncle’s consistent devotion to documenting our family history, I don’t worry about that as much anymore. I’ve finally realized that the pictures and film taken in life are our way of keeping loved ones alive. They are our legacy to be passed down generation after generation keeping our own essence here long after we’re gone. I think my Uncle Conrad has always realized that. Thanks Unc Con :)

I took this snapshot of my uncle in Cobden, IL - February 2010

Below is a lil' clip of one of his old movies. For more, click "OLD MOVIES Room" on right sidebar.


Visiting grandpa and grandma in the country – 1964
aunts, uncles, cousins, etc (little blonde girl in the black coat is me)