A lifelong habit of smoking probably led to my uncle’s death. He’d been suffering from emphysema for years now. He was the youngest of the family and if memory serves was the only sibling in my father’s family that was born in America. My father was 14 when he came to this country, but you’d never know it to speak to him.

I do have a couple male cousins who’ve had sons, so the family name will be carried on through them. Since I’ve never been married and have no male children, let alone any children, I won’t be of help to carry on the lineage.