OneMansCourage

Summer of 2000
Pop flew down to Florida for a two-week visit in the summer of
2000 and told Ed and me that his brother Richard, Richard's
wife Gert, their daughter Sherry (first born of their twelve
children) and Sherry's husband, Gene, were camping somewhere
in Florida. Pop wanted to know if they were close enough to
visit, since he hadn't seen them since 1995.

Ed and I conspired with Richard and Gert not to tell Pop we'd
be stopping by the campsite. In fact, we told Pop they were
hours away from where we lived, and he wouldn't be able to
visit his brother this time. We all wanted it to be a surprise
for Pop and told him that just to throw him off.

Ed and I knew the campground Richard and Gert were staying at
was only thirty minutes from where we lived, and if we
detoured off I75, we would drive right by the campground on
our way home. After we picked Pop up at Tampa Airport, we
headed home, or so Pop thought. We wanted it to be a real
surprise for Ed's dad, and as predicted, Pop was thrilled.

I sat in amazement listening to all of them reminisce about
old times. We learned Richard and Gert had been in contact
with Muriel for the first couple of years after she and Pop
divorced, and angrily verbalized her feelings to Richard and
Gert about Pop and the children.

We learned that Muriel's limited and temporary contact with
the Schuman family was always tainted with the darkness that
had become her only form of expression.

The last conversation Richard and Gert had with Muriel was
when she asked them for money and mentioned in passing that
she wanted to put the kids in an orphanage.

Even though Richard and Gert couldn't afford to send Muriel
money, they did offer to take all five children into their own
home and raise them instead of seeing them dumped into an
orphanage by their own mother. Muriel refused their offer,
then cut off all communication with the Schuman family.

As I sat and listened, I remember thinking how unbelievably
courageous this family was to offer selflessly their home and
their love to five additional children when, at that point,
they already had an unbelievable ten of their own.

I learned a few things myself. For instance, mountain oysters
are not oysters from the mountains. Evidently, when pigs,
bulls, or sheep are castrated, that specific body part, once
removed from its casing, is cut into bite size pieces, rolled
in flour, egg and crackers, then fried. I can't tell you if
mountain oysters are served as a main dish or a side dish.

Then there was chicken feet soup and tongue. Although skinned,
I wasn't sure about the chicken feet soup thing, but I was
undeniably sure animals still use their tongues to clean
themselves. Everywhere! What I can tell you is I do believe I
would have starved.

Pop was so grateful he was able to visit with his brother
because on May 13, 2001, Richard passed away, then Sherry lost
her beloved husband Gene in 2003.

For me, it was an absolute privilege to meet these two fine
men, and I'm just as thankful for my continued friendship with
Sherry and the rest of the Schuman's in South Dakota.

Three-Weeks in the Midwest
Together, Ed, Pop, Bobby, and Bobby's son Robbie took a
three-week vacation to the Midwest in July 2002, flying from
New Jersey to South Dakota where they rented a car. Pop was so
proud to be back in his hometown, driving the roads as if he
never left the state, which at the time was a little scary for
Ed and Bobby. After the fact, they laughed about their many
experiences with Pop.

The first stop was White Lake to visit Gert and Pop's brother
Jack and Jack's wife Dorothy. They visited with Jack for quite
awhile before heading over to visit Pop's sister Dorothy and
her husband Don.

Pop drove because he knew where he was going, and Ed described
the ride as an E-Ticket at Disney World. The roads were curvy,
two-lane country roads lined with farms on either side. Bobby
kept telling Pop he was going too fast and that he needed to
slow down, while Ed was in the back seat with Robbie enjoying
the ride. Pop said too Bobby, "I've been traveling these roads
since I was a teen. I know them by heart." Laughing, Ed
responded, "That was sixty-years ago, Pop, and you could see
out of both your eyes back then."

On another occasion, they had just left an Indian Trading Post
in the Badlands, and again, Pop was driving. Bobby was sitting
in the passenger seat, Ed and Robbie in the back seat. A
vehicle in front of them was turning left, and Pop wasn't
slowing down. Bobby hollered, "Watch out," causing Pop to slam
on his brakes. Bobby began lecturing his dad, stating, "You
need to pay better attention, Pop."

Pop replied, "That guy shouldn't stop in the middle of the
road like that."

"He was turning, Pop. Now, pay attention to the road," Bobby
told his dad.

Pop stated, "I was paying attention, but I was trying to read
the sign over there," pointing to his left. Being blind in his
left eye, Pop had to turn his whole head to read the sign.

In Early 2003, Pop was driving Zoraida to Newark Airport to
pick up Zoraida's sister, Alicia, when they were involved in
an accident. Pop told us that he was sideswiped by a truck.

It was true that Pop was sideswiped by a truck; however, it
was Pop who sideswiped the truck, not the truck that
sideswiped Pop's car. In addition, it wasn't just a truck; it
was an eighteen-wheeler. Pop's vision had become so bad that
he simply didn't see the massive semi. Thankfully, no one was
hurt.

No one really knew just how bad the sight in Pop's right eye
was until that accident. The thought of what could have
happened was haunting, and there was no question what had to
be done. Pop had to surrender his driver's license, and this
feisty eighty-three-year-old didn't go down without a fight.
In the end, Pop knew he was doing the right thing for himself
and others.

A Special Request
Ed and his dad had seen each other five or six times a year
since reuniting, and the last time Pop had been in Florida was
the weekend of December 12, 2003 when he and Bobby flew down
for a pre-holiday weekend.

As had become the tradition, Ed's two brothers, Rick and Bob,
who both also live in Florida, came in especially for their
dad's visit. That Saturday, Pop said he needed to talk to all
of us about something important. He referred to it as a
special request.

He went on to say he wasn't sure if he would be able to fly
down many more times after this visit because of his failing
health and eyesight. Pop told us, "Before I die, I want to
visit my daughter's grave."

That very moment is when I learned Pop had never been to
Donna's grave. Not because he didn't want to, but because he
never knew where she was buried. I suppose I simply took for
granted that Pop knew when and where his little princess, as
Pop called her, died. Pop had never mentioned it until now.
Honestly, how in the world could anyone deny a request like
that?

I told Pop when Donna passed away purposely leaving out how
she died, hoping he wouldn't ask. I then told him that his
little princess was buried at Flagler Memorial Cemetery in
Miami.

Even though Pop, Ed, and the brothers wanted me to join them
on this journey, I felt it was something Pop needed to do with
just his sons; and so, the following morning, in the pouring
rain, Pop, Ed, Bob, Rick, and Bobby headed to Miami to grant
their father his special request.

Heading south for the five-hour drive, they stopped for lunch
in Port St. Lucie hoping by the time they finished eating, the
rain would have let up some, which wasn't the case. Since they
still had another two-hour drive ahead of them, they had to
get going. It poured the entire trip, sometimes hard enough
that cars had to pull off the interstate because the
visibility was so poor.

Within a few blocks of the cemetery, they stopped to buy
flowers to place on Donna's grave, and as unbelievable as this
may sound, as they entered the gates of Flagler Memorial
Cemetery, the rain simply stopped falling from the sky. I'm
not talking about a light rain or drizzle. It just stopped
raining. Period!

They drove to the Baby Land Section of the cemetery and walked
Pop over to Donna's marker. They said prayers and placed their
flowers around her final place of rest, and not until Pop was
ready did they walk him back to the car.

This was an extremely emotional moment for Pop, yet an
unforgettable moment for all of them.

As they exited the gates of Flagler Memorial Cemetery, the sky
opened up once again. Ed said that the rain fell so hard that
it was difficult to see the car in front of you.

It was as if God was watching over this once broken man and
chose to show His grace on this heartwarming journey by
stopping the rain so Pop could reunite and heal without God's
tears (rain) overshadowing the moment.

They chose to spend the night at Bob's and drove back to our
place the following morning. After arriving, Ed, Rick, Bobby,
and Pop all told the same amazing story about the rain, saying
it was a little creepy, but 100% the truth.

What are the chances of Pop referring to Donna as his Little
Princess and it being on her headstone?

They also told me Donna's cemetery was just blocks from where
Pop and Zoraida used to live when they returned to the states
and a stone's throw from Zoraida's family. Pop never even
knew he was within walking distance from his little princess.

After the brothers went into the house, I remained outside
with Pop at his request. We sat together in silence for a
short while before he looked at me and began to cry. I took
his hands and held them tight, then leaned over to hug him,
hoping he didn't notice my tears.

Composing himself, Pop said, "I've lived a rough life, Kat,
and now I have peace in my heart. I found my sons and was
able to say goodbye to my little princess. I can die in
peace."

National World War II Memorial
Construction began on the National WWII Memorial in
Washington, D.C., in September 2001, opened to the public on
April 29, 2004, and is located between the Lincoln Memorial
and the Washington Monument.

Pop absolutely had to visit the National WWII Memorial, and
naturally, Ed flew to New Jersey to accompany Pop and other
family members to the four-day jubilee May 27 thru May 30,
2004, paying tribute to The Greatest Generation, our World
War II Veterans, for their service and sacrifice to our great
country.

Quoting from the brochure: