Happy Birthday Gramps!

Donald (left) and David Wait - 1956

Paul and I have been working on David Wait's genealogy lately.  He was my grandfather's younger brother.  

We have been photographing all of the different places that Uncle David lived, all of them in Greenfield except for one place.  From what we can gather from City Directories and Uncle David's daughter Janet, Uncle David moved to Arizona in 1956.  He had bad lungs and the doctor told him that moving to a dry environment might help.  

This picture is one of my Aunt Dot's slides.  I remember that they came for a visit on their way to Arizona - Uncle David, Aunt Ellen and their five children.  There was another picture taken that day. I can still see it in my mind.  I looked everywhere for it and the only thing that I can think of is that Dot must have thrown it out.  She went through a phase where she went through her slides and "purged" them, although I can't imagine why she would have gotten rid of that one. 

Anyhow, my grandfather and Uncle David were very close and the move must have been hard for both of them.  I don't remember the details, whether he didn't like it in Arizona, didn't think it helped his health or what, but Uncle David was back in Greenfield the next year.

I have many pleasant memories of going to Greenfield with my grandfather to visit Uncle David, Aunt Ellen, and their youngest son Donald, who was two years younger than me.  

Today is my grandfather's birthday.  He would have been 117.  Happy birthday Gramps.