Heroes among us

I'm sorry to report that my uncle passed away. John was my dad's older, and only, brother. He was 77; my dad would have turned 73 this Friday, September 26. John's obituary from the High Point Enterprise reads:

HIGH POINT - John Kenneth Cochran, Lt. Colonel, Retired, age 77, of High Point died September 22, 2008, in High Point Regional Hospital.

Mr. Cochran was born July 23, 1931, in St. Louis, Missouri to Frank M. and Jesse Hughes Cochran. As a United States Marine, he served his country for 20 years including three tours of duty during the Vietnam War. Mr. Cochran received many citations for his service including the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star medal. He also received a Purple Heart after being shot down by enemy fire over North Vietnam in 1972. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Mr. Cochran later had a long career with U. S. Furniture Industries.

Surviving are his wife, Patricia, of the home; two daughters: Kathleen Clayton and her husband Norris of Winston-Salem, and Marie Cochran of Durham; and a son, Kenneth Cochran and wife Paige of Jamestown. Mr. Cochran has four grandchildren of whom he was especially proud, Matthew and Patricia Clayton and Olivia and Margo Cochran.

A Memorial Service to celebrate Mr. Cochran's life will be held Friday at 12 Noon in Christ United Methodist Church in High Point with the Reverend Carol Carkin officiating. Visitation will be on Thursday from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. at the home of his son, Kenneth Cochran.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be directed to a cause close to his heart: the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 1401-B Old Mill Circle, Winston-Salem, NC 27103.

Please share your condolences at www.mem.com. Sechrest Funeral Service in High Point is assisting the family of Mr. Cochran.

My Uncle John was proud to have served in the U.S. armed forces. He has always been my idea of a true hero.

I'm headed to North Carolina in a couple of hours to join in his memorial.

Wow... has it been one year?

I looked at my blog site today and can't believe it's been nearly one year since I posted anything. My only excuse is that it's been one heck of a year -- and not a very good one.

A bright spot was that Shari, Aaron, and I went to Houston for Christmas 2007. Neither of them had been to Texas, let alone Houston, before, nor had they met my family. We did some touring -- Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Lucy exhibit, Galveston, NASA, and the Nutcracker at the Houston Ballet -- and enjoyed a nice Christmas day at my sister's. Little did any of us know that it would be the last time we would all be together like that, as my dad took ill shortly after and passed away in April. Everything since then has been crazy.

As primary organizer and executor of our parents' estate, it's almost like I've taken on a second full-time job. I've traveled back and forth between Santa Cruz and Houston a number of times since then, met with lawyers, accountants, real estate agents, estate sale agents, and on and on... (meanwhile, I had two different scientific conferences to prepare presentations for and attend)

My last trip to Houston fell right in between hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Luckily neither my sister's home, nor our parents', sustained any damage from Hurricane Ike -- of course there were branches all over the yards and the power went out. As of today, my sister and her family are lucky enough to have their electricity again, but I understand that our parents' neighborhood on the north side (the suburb of Spring) is still without. We had hoped to have the estate sale next weekend, and have the house on the market directly afterwards, but all that's been pushed back indefinitely.

I've had two very dear friends die recently -- both unexpected. My uncle (my dad's only brother) had an abdominal aortic aneurysm last week. He survived the surgery, which I understand has a 40% mortality rate. However, his recovery is not going well, and he is in critical condition.

Yes... it's been one heck of a year.