BROTHER BOB

BROTHER BOB
Today is July 15, 2009 - the Ides of July! My brother Robert (Bob) James, was born on this date 87 years ago! (July 15, 1922.) He died on May 31, 1984 - all too soon - at he age of 61. Bob had smoked since high school. He left a wife and nine children. My sister Jeanne, brother John Norman, and myself (Ray L’Amoreaux), also mourned his death.
Bob was the first of the four of us siblings to be born in a hospital. Jeanne and I were both born at home - Jeanne at 63 Carleton Road. And I at 9 South Manning Street, both of us in Hillsdale Michigan.
Bob was a good athlete in high school. He played on the Ypsilanti High School golf team, and was a very good bowler. During WWII, he enlisted in the Coast Guard, and served on the cutter, USS Meigs - primarily on patrol in the Aleutian Islands. He was discharged in December 1945. In January 1946, he was in a fatal auto accident, when a drunk driver of a pickup, hit their car head-on. He and his girl friend were riding in the back seat of a four- door Plymouth. Bob’s left leg was almost severed at the knee. He also received a broken neck and internal injuries. He was in intensive care in St. Joseph’s Hospital, Ann Arbor, for quite a while, and then had 24/7 nursing care for six weeks. The surgeons tried to save his leg but, when the circulation failed, they had to amputate his leg at the knee. Our parents cashed all of their War Savings Bonds to pay for Bob’s hospital bill.
After his release from the hospital, Bob spent the next few years staying with our parents in Ypsilanti - while recuperating, getting physical therapy and rehabbing with his new artificial leg. He got a job in the Production Planning Department at the Ford Motor company in Ypsilanti.
He married Jacqueline (Jackie) McIlhargie October 6, 1951. They had nine children.
Bob told my wife, Marie, once, that since his accident, there never was a day that he didn’t have a headache. Yet, he gutted it out, and continued working. He was also active in raising his family.
Bob was certainly gracious and “giving” to me. I was the Audit Manager for California and Hawaiian Sugar Company. I did quite a bit of traveling on company business. When in the mid-west, I tried to schedule my trip so that I could swing by Ypsilanti on the weekend, to see my family. Bob was always at the Detroit airport to pick me up when I arrived - no matter the hour - , and return me to the airport, after my visit. I could never thank him enough for his thoughtful kindness.
Happy Birthday, Bob! I miss you. RCL - 7/15/09.