2019 Life Logs, Day 208: Family Celebration of Life
Date: Saturday, July 27, 2019
Weather: Sunny, Beautiful Day; High 89, Low 63 degrees F
Location: Wingate by Wyndham, Mooreseville, NC
Today was the family ‘Celebration of Life’ in honor of my brother-in-law, Joseph Edward Kerwood . . . a life well lived. Heather and I represented the New England members of the family at the Mooresville, North Carolina gathering, about 30 miles north of Charlotte. My niece Candice Todd and her husband Char who live near Boston, represented the New England family members last weekend in another celebration of Joe’s life in Akron, Ohio. Today we met on the shores of Lake Norman at the home of family friends, Judy and Brian Thompson. Only one of Joe’s siblings survives him, his younger sister Judy Aylestock, who lives near Charlotte. Judy, along with her daughter Janie and her family, plus Joe’s nephew John and his wife Lynn from Atlanta, came to share their stories from Joe’s childhood. My nephew, Tommy Martin, along with my nieces Janet Kerwood and Jennifer Price, Joe’s daughters, invited all in attendance to share stories from Joe’s life. Joe was an avid golfer, so his beloved wooden driver from St. Andrews in Scotland, was passed around to those wanting to share a story. Many friends from the Charlotte area came, as well as Joe’s secretary from his many years working for Monsanto. She found out about Joe’s death through Facebook and drove up from Florida to be with us. After the sharing of stories, the youngest members of the family enjoyed water fun in the lake while the older members took the opportunity to visit with one another. My sister Patsy and I are the only siblings left from our generation, and it was wonderful to share stories with the children of all of our siblings, their children, and in some cases, their children . . . four generations of the Martin family.
