The Time Has Past

As the saying goes, “The time has past”. A few years back my father had made contact once again with his aunt Yvonne and her daughter. His mother’s last surviving sibling. He found out that we hadn’t heard from his uncle Ordell in California because he and his wife had died about a year before. No one let us know. He told her about my work on the family history and he sent me her address etc. So I had been meaning to send off a letter to her along with a family sheet for her and each of her kids, a small questionnaire and some photos I have restored. Unfortunately life happens and I got been busy with my own kids (4 trips to the emergency in the one month between the 2 kids). Then; ‘the time has past’ and I got the call from my father the one day soon after things had returned to a relatively normal state (no more hospital trips, namely) that my great aunt Yvonne had past away from the cancer she was dealing with. I was saddened further to realize that she was the last of that generation; of that group of siblings. I missed the opportunity to hear her family wisdom and record it for posterity. I pray she found rest and peace, as well as Great Uncle Ordell & Aunt Connie. Ordell was the only brother of my Grandmother Elva Dennie, they where the children of William George Dennie and Gladys Forwell. William Dennie I spoke of in the previous blog; he served in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in WWI.  I remember Uncle Ordell well as we use to see him and his family regularly when I was a kid. That is until they moved down to California. Uncle Ordell even gave me a copy of his long form Birth Certificate to help with my research (seen above). It was one of my first major records for my collection and research into the family history.  While it certainly helped spark my interest, here again is a lost opportunity. The time has past to speak with him some more, and gain insight from a truly wonderful man. He will be missed. Don't let the time pass on you and the opportunity to get to know your relatives, that you are researching, from other older relatives that knew them personally.  This is probably one of the biggest research blunders we make as "The Family Genealogist". Just my opinion of course, but I don't think I'm far from the truth on this one.