Remembering my Uncle William today on the 91st anniversary of the day of his birth. He was affectionately know as UW to me and my family and he was one wild and crazy guy. If you had the pleasure of meeting him, you’d never forget him. He was a Texan’s Texan; one of a kind, a big heart, a loud voice, a swimmer, and athlete with drive and determination to live life to the fullest.
So many memories of him in my heart, here are just a few.
He was an adventurer. In the late 50’s and early 60’s, he lived and hunted and worked as a guide in Alaska. He had many trophies on his wall from those days and a Christmas he hung lights on the big moose-head in his house.
He had a heart as big as Texas: When I was very little (under three) my mother was a single mom trying to support three young children on the money she earned working as a waitress at Walgreens. She told me he would come to dinner once a week and leave a $20 bill under his plate.
He was a loving brother: As many tales as I have about him, my mother has repeated dozens more. Several years ago I recorded many of her stories on tape. He was the complete opposite of her and he extended his love to her in many ways. When I was clearing my mother’s house, I found a Valentines card he had sent her. Inside he had written over and over again until it filled every space inside the card… “I Love You!” I framed that card for her and it is with her at the nursing home.
He could be stern: When I was little I would go and stay with him and my aunt for a week in the summer. One summer I remember, I had been riding one of his bikes and when I came in, I just just let it drop to the ground and ran inside. I got a very stern (and loud) lecture on the value of things and caring for them properly. I know it made me cry but I have always remembered that and I remember it every time I am feeling lazy and am tempted to not put something away properly.
He was fun (and sometimes inappropriate): For most of my childhood we would have Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner with Uncle William, alternating houses each year. Every single year, at the dinner table, my Uncle William would tell a joke. It often revolved around the grace or a holiday theme. I can often remember asking what they meant and my mother would always say, “It is for adults.”
One I do remember, as I must have pondered it’s meaning for years. He was buttering a dinner roll and he asked, “Did you hear about the lady in the mini-skirt who went to buy butter? When she bent over the refrigerator case instead of getting butter she got bred.”
He was a teacher: For many years he taught swimming at his home in the outskirts of Houston. After he died one of his students wrote these memories on his obituary. “Bill Van Houten had more influence on my life than anyone outside my family. He took me under his wing when I was only 8 years old – I loved him immediately… he asked me to work with him – I didn’t know you could make money doing something so fun… he wanted to scuba dive again – he’s the one that got me started on that – scrubbing the algae off the bottom of his pool!…. I loved the way he gave me bear-hugs. My eyes are tearing just thinking about it. I loved him so, so much and I will be forever grateful for the knowledge, experiences and love that he gave me.”
Last but not least, he was a lady’s man: After his death we found envelopes with pictures of some of his lady friends. One envelope was labeled, “naughty but nice ladies.”
Later in life, I stayed close to my UW. I volunteered and worked at the Sr. Olympics in Houston when he competed and won many events; we traveled to California to cheer him on when he did the Alcatraz swim. He shivered for 2 hours after he got out of the water that day and he told us he never would have made if that one female swimmer in front of him had not jumped in nude. He said, “I just kept trying to catch up with her!”
In the 90’s he joined us several times in Campbell River, BC salmon fishing. UW was an avid sportsman and my young son, Josh, was a a budding environmentalist. UW and Josh had a special relationship but on this trip it was challenged. UW had caught a big salmon and I guess procedure is to whack them on the head to kill them and put them in the cooler. Josh was mortified by what was happening and he told UW, “If you bonk that fish again I’m gonna bonk you!”
My Uncle William was athletic and he was physically fit into his 80’s, however his mind did not keep up. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in his late 70’s. The last time I saw him was in December 2010. He was at a memory care facility in California. He was overjoyed to see me and Chris. We brought him some pumpkin bread from Starbucks and he kept asking me if I had made it. Our visit ended quickly when it was lunchtime and a little lady knocked at his door. I guess she was his standing lunch date and you can’t keep the ladies waiting.
He was a man of his time, he had opinions and you knew what they were but he had a charisma that drew people to him; he was bigger than life. He was my Uncle William, a mentor, a father-figure, and a friend and not only my ‘Uncle William’ but he was an uncle to my sons, my ex and to Chrissie. We will never forget him and I am thankful for his impact on my life.
Emyloom ~ Words Woven Within My Heart 