We got some sad news in late November, that crazy Uncle Kevin passed away suddenly. He was my father's younger brother, and our last living tie to The County.
He was the fun younger uncle when we were kids, as a big kid himself. I also remember his Mustang fastback in the lane at the Farm. He was off to Alberta in the late 70's to find work out there. He returned to Ontario in 1984 and hung around Barrie area for a number of years.
In my late teens, I spent a summer living with him in his camper van and working construction jobs around Simcoe County. There was only an 8-track for music in the van, and stuck in it was Jim Croce's greatest hits. So for the entire summer, we could listen to Jim Croce, or nothing. I'm probably also lucky to be alive.
He returned to The County and helped ensure that my grandmother could stay all the Farm for as long as possible, all the while managing to drive her crazy.
One time, as we waited for the ferry, after a few too many beers he decided to use the nearby porta-potty. It seemed to take a long time. The ferry made it across and unloaded. Then began loading up. My dad and I drove on, figuring he would just catch us on the other side after the next crossing. Suddenly he exploded out of the john, still doing up his pants, and ran/stumbled down the dock and dove aboard the Glenora Ferry as it pulled away from the wharf. As he clung to the side, the burly ferryman yanked him aboard and was just about to give him proper hell when he stopped and instead yelled...."Kevin? Kevin Cole???". Of course they were old high school buddies.
If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't have believed it. Right out of a movie.
After she passed, I would still visit him at Farm and help him stock wood for the winter, cook meat on strange devices, or putter around his workshop in the barn crafting cabinets and cutting boards from wood off the farm.
Jane consigned him to make me a special writing desk one year for my birthday, with "elven" flair. He crafted the top from butternut, and used 200-year old cedar roots from the property to make artistic legs.
He was a unique and colourful character, who saw the world through his own eccentric lens. While his personality could be challenging at times, he was clever, witty and big-hearted, as evidenced by his circle of longtime friends. Gone too soon, but oh the stories he left behind.
His trademark smile
The laneway out to Kevin's shop
Dropping some knowledge
Our fun young uncle in the 70's
A drink and a smoke behind the wheel - on private property!
In the living room at The Farm
Tea and burgers the unconventional way!
At my other uncle's wedding
The long shadows of autumn frame my uncle and I in the back field
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