Today Aunt Alice's Son Wade Rests In Peace

Last night I was surprised, on Facebook, to learn that Aunt Alice's son, Wade, had been taken to Harborview Hospital in Seattle, due to seizures causing his brain to bleed.

I assume Wade was flown to Seattle in an emergency air ambulance.

I was struck by all the people expressing their support for Aunt Alice. Her kindly nature really does bring out the best in an awful lot of people.

I learned a few minutes ago, also on Facebook, that Wade died this morning.

Aunt Alice tried to call me yesterday. It was an odd call. Suddenly Facebook notified me that Aunt Alice was calling me. How did Facebook know this? Then my phone lit up, telling me I had a call, but it was not the usual thing I see when I get a call. I couldn't figure out how to answer it.

My friend on the planet of the longest duration, Linda R, asked me a couple weeks ago if Aunt Alice was my mom or my dad's sister, because Linda did not remember me having an aunt named Alice.

Well, Aunt Alice is not really my aunt. I just call her that. And she refers to  me as her Sweet Nephew. Aunt Alice is also known as Tootsie Tonasket of the Okanogan Tribe. Alice used to be married to Uncle Albert, last name Hudson, which makes Wade's name Wade Hudson. Aunt Alice used to be Alice Hudson, tell she reverted  to Alice Odella, her pre-married name.

I have known Aunt Alice for a long time. But I have never met her in person. Or Wade. I think I have only been to Eastern Washington once since I came to know Aunt Alice.

Years ago Alice emailed me a question about the Branch-Davidians. She'd been to my webpage that documented my visit to the site of that tragedy and somehow thought I was associated with that cult. This began years of email exchanges.

I've seen Aunt Alice change drastically over the years, growing way more confident. MySpace and then Facebook connected Aunt Alice with the rest of the world in a way she did not have available to her prior to social media. Via Facebook Aunt Alice re-connected with her sister she'd been separated from since she was a little kid.

Aunt Alice is not rich in material goods, she has some health issues stemming from childhood meningitis. But, Aunt Alice is rich in heart and spirit. And she's a real good cook.

Wade was the same age as two of my nephews, Spencer Jack's uncle Joey and my nephew Jeremy's big brother, Christopher.

Soon after I met Aunt Alice she became a grandma. Wade had a baby with Veronica, a girl named Lavada. Lavada is now in high school. Time flies.

I assume Wade was getting good medical care. ObamaCare did not get compromised in Washington, like it did in Texas. No one should die from lack of decent medical care in the country which touts itself as the best in the world with the world's highest standard of living.

Sentiments which actually are not reality based....