Family Fandango
On 12/03, our whole North American family will get together, as well as my sister Margaret who has never been to this continent and my cousin Stephanie from Montclair New Jersey, whom I have not seen in 39 years.
None of my family has met Stephanie except maybe Lucille when we were first married 40 years ago.
Kendra, Stephanie and her husband John Woodburn's daughter is writing a paper at Bard, a college in New York that is affiliated with the Episcopal Church where she's a student, so she won't be there.
Margaret whom I have seen 3 or 4 times in 30 years has never met my son's wife Penny or daughters Abby and Emily, nor my son-in law, James Young.
She last saw my daughter Cindy and her boys Tim and Justin in Cape Town when they were about 7 and 18 months old.
We plan to celebrate the kids birthdays, parents anniversaries, Xmas and even maybe Halloween all in one weekend.
My son, David, our family photographer and movie maker will record the festivities.
Later this month, Solange, Stephanie's late sister Leonie's daughter will visit New York with her daughter, Sumara for Xmas. Like her father, she is French and apparently married to a British Bajan.
Leonie, a prima ballerina, taught ballet at a competitive level in France before she died at an early age.
Stephanie and Leonie are the children of Rose (nee Schur) and Joe Urdang whom my father worked for as a Conveyancer at his law firm. It was located in Athlone, an area designated as "colored" by the apartheid government, an area near the shantytowns that were bulldozed. Athlone was later completely banned to "white" people.In addition to being a relative, I was also at School with her at Westerford High School.
Rose, like Sam and Milton's mother Sophie, were the children of my great-grandfather's second wife, Leah. So while they were step-siblings of my grandfather, they were of similar age to his children, like my Father and they became contempories. All the original children were dead when I was born, so the threesome were treated more like uncles and aunts. Leah was alive but her identity was kept secret until I found out about her a few years ago. We knew her only as Auntie Schur.
Sophie was a double relative, as she was married to Milton's father, my mother Dorothy's brother, Raoul, who died in the same home my mother lives in at age 101. He published a book with a diet and lifestyle for living for a long time at age 85 when he was the institution's dance instructor.
Gillian Mudie, nee Schur, Dr.Sam and Shirley Schur's daughter, wrote and told Stephanie that Clementine and her husband Clive have split up. Clementine who lived in New Jersey has gone back to CT where I presume Gillian lives.
Milton and Elinor have a grandson (Anton's son), born in January. Anton is apparently doing AMAZINGLY well and is considered to be very brilliant in his field (poverty and microfinance).
The other son, Stefan was recently in Somaliland as a poll watcher for the elections.
Milton is a retired surgeon, ex-Chairman of the Royal College of Surgeons in London.
His brother Arnold is a retired barrister, also living in England.
There will be a test on these relationships after the weekend.
None of my family has met Stephanie except maybe Lucille when we were first married 40 years ago.
Kendra, Stephanie and her husband John Woodburn's daughter is writing a paper at Bard, a college in New York that is affiliated with the Episcopal Church where she's a student, so she won't be there.
Margaret whom I have seen 3 or 4 times in 30 years has never met my son's wife Penny or daughters Abby and Emily, nor my son-in law, James Young.
She last saw my daughter Cindy and her boys Tim and Justin in Cape Town when they were about 7 and 18 months old.
We plan to celebrate the kids birthdays, parents anniversaries, Xmas and even maybe Halloween all in one weekend.
My son, David, our family photographer and movie maker will record the festivities.
Later this month, Solange, Stephanie's late sister Leonie's daughter will visit New York with her daughter, Sumara for Xmas. Like her father, she is French and apparently married to a British Bajan.
Leonie, a prima ballerina, taught ballet at a competitive level in France before she died at an early age.
Stephanie and Leonie are the children of Rose (nee Schur) and Joe Urdang whom my father worked for as a Conveyancer at his law firm. It was located in Athlone, an area designated as "colored" by the apartheid government, an area near the shantytowns that were bulldozed. Athlone was later completely banned to "white" people.In addition to being a relative, I was also at School with her at Westerford High School.
Rose, like Sam and Milton's mother Sophie, were the children of my great-grandfather's second wife, Leah. So while they were step-siblings of my grandfather, they were of similar age to his children, like my Father and they became contempories. All the original children were dead when I was born, so the threesome were treated more like uncles and aunts. Leah was alive but her identity was kept secret until I found out about her a few years ago. We knew her only as Auntie Schur.
Sophie was a double relative, as she was married to Milton's father, my mother Dorothy's brother, Raoul, who died in the same home my mother lives in at age 101. He published a book with a diet and lifestyle for living for a long time at age 85 when he was the institution's dance instructor.
Gillian Mudie, nee Schur, Dr.Sam and Shirley Schur's daughter, wrote and told Stephanie that Clementine and her husband Clive have split up. Clementine who lived in New Jersey has gone back to CT where I presume Gillian lives.
Milton and Elinor have a grandson (Anton's son), born in January. Anton is apparently doing AMAZINGLY well and is considered to be very brilliant in his field (poverty and microfinance).
The other son, Stefan was recently in Somaliland as a poll watcher for the elections.
Milton is a retired surgeon, ex-Chairman of the Royal College of Surgeons in London.
His brother Arnold is a retired barrister, also living in England.
There will be a test on these relationships after the weekend.
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