Photo of the Day

This is a photo from my paternal aunt's wedding day on 27 November 1970.  She is posing in her family's living room in New Castle, Delaware with her maternal aunt, who was standing in as the mother of the bride, because her mother had died nearly two months before her wedding day.  I'm sure it had to have been a bitter-sweet day for everyone.

Diane Odgers Veasey (1951 - 2002)
Norma Lea LeGates Pinder (1922 - 1992)

Photo of the Day

This is a photo of my paternal uncle taken on Christmas Day 2005 in his maternal aunt's living room in Galena, Maryland.  He was 51 years old.

James Odgers
(1954 - 2007)

Photo of the Day

This is a photo of my paternal grandparents taken in their living room in New Castle, Delaware, probably in the late 1960s.

William Odgers (1918 - 1986)
Ellen LeGates Odgers (1924 -1970)

Photo of the Day

This is a photo of my paternal uncle taken in his family living room in New Castle, Delaware in December of 1965, while he was playing with some of his Christmas presents.  He was 11 years old.

James Odgers
1954 - 2007

What Is In A Sympathy Card?

Early sympathy cards were announcements of a person's death.  They were usually plain and included the person's name and facts, maybe an image of a tombstone.  Eventually they evolved into what we know today, a message of sympathy to bereaved family members.

I have been reading through a lot of sympathy cards as I go through things from my paternal uncle's funeral.  The thing that stuck out to me was the personal messages written in some of the cards.  Words like sense of humor, wonderful, fun, great boss, great friend, special person, great guy, and kindhearted were used to describe my uncle.  What a wonderful picture of him that was painted through the kind words of people that he touched throughout his life.  A picture that was easy for me to see because I knew and loved him.

It got me thinking, though.  How many other sympathy cards will I come across for other deceased family members?  And will any of those include kind words that will paint a picture for me of someone I never met?  I sure hope that is the case and I plan to keep looking.

One thing I do know is, even though it has been over nine years, I still miss my uncle's kindheartedness and wonderful sense of humor.

6 December 1967 Letter

This is a letter written by my maternal uncle to my paternal aunt on 6 December 1967, while he was stationed in Vietnam.  He had been out in the field for a few weeks, and was hoping to be back at base camp by Christmas and home by September.

Four days after this letter was written my uncle and his company were in a terrible fight with an

Photo taken by Paul Branyan in the
days leading up to his death.

enemy that was dug in at a ditch.  He was on an armored personnel carrier and was passing ammunition to a fellow soldier, Drew Shipley, as he was firing a 50-caliber machine gun.  Sargent Shipley was shot in the head and killed.  Despite knowing the danger, my uncle took over the machine gun and, tragically, met the same fate.

At the time of his death, my uncle had been in Vietnam for 100 days.  He was twenty years old.

Sadly, my aunt received the letter from my uncle the day after he died.

This is a link to an article that describes the battle that occurred on the day my uncle died.

Paul Branyan's Virtual Vietnam Veterans War Memorial page
Memorial Page for Paul Branyan
Web site for 1st Battalion 50th Infantry

20 November 1967 Letter

This is a letter from my maternal uncle to my paternal aunt.  He wrote it on 20 November 1967 and she received it a week later.  He wrote it after he had returned to the field in Vietnam after a short break at base camp.  He closed his letter by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  He was looking forward to getting home the following September, but he died in battle less than a month after this letter was written.

Memorial Page for Paul "Ozzie" Branyan
Virtual Vietnam Veterans War Memorial Page for Paul "Ozzie" Branyan