THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER:   VOLUME 148                                      NOVEMBER 2022

Dear Readers,

Fall has befallen all my Kansas City grandchildren with high fevers, runny noses,  congested noses, sore throats, coughs, watery eyes, and diarrhea. Miraculously - despite spending days with these germ infested children   - my immune system has warded off all these ailments !  This is the third week of suctioning noses, tackling dried up snot with baby oil and a warm washcloth, and trying to get syringes full of cough, cold and anti- fever medication into toddlers who are in no mood to swallow anything but fruit snacks, goldfish and cookies. Normally Liam and Lochlan consume two cans of chicken noodle soup for lunch but now I am lucky if I can get half a can down their throats. Liam especially seems to have lost weight. I am hoping that by this weekend  all the children will have made a full recovery! At least we have been able to keep them all out of the hospital. The children's hospital here is completely full with all the kids infected with RSV.

Unfortunately their illness prevented Liam and Emmy Lou from Trick or Treating this Halloween - so I have no pictures of her in her porcupine costume to share. Hoping it fits her next year! Such a shame as it was the warmest Hallowen night I can remember -  children did not need to wear winter coats over their costumes. We actually had  lovely warm weather in October but this month we have already had freezing temperatures and snow. 

Sarah and Sean expect the birth of their fourth baby at any time now: hopefully they will be able to catch up on sleep beforehand!  Sean has been on a month long sabbatical from work and has spent most of his time caring for his sick kids - he did find time to fix my bathroom walls and ceilings and re- painted it all! Looks so much better! He patched up the dining room wall around the window which was a mess from where I had removed all the drapery hardware.I am sure Sean thought he would get a lot more projects completed but the Nanny was also on vacation for much of the time he was off. But he does have fourteen weeks of paid paternity leave in his future! Sarah started her  maternity leave this past Monday and will have until May 4th to bond with the new baby and hopefully to  figure out how to keep his three toddler siblings from terrorizing him!

Lori, and our family friend Lori Griswold , recently met up to visit Blake in Santa Monica for a few days and Marc and Bryn were able to spend time with them too. They are pictured on the patio of the rental house where the girls  were staying - Blakes one room place being too small for company! They enjoyed the beach and riding bikes around! Blake will be returning to Purdue next semester as his co-op experience with Red 6 will end next month.An Indiana winter is not going to be very pleasant after a Californian fall!

From left: Blake, Bryn, Lori and Marc

Marc, Lori G, Blake and Bryn

Blake, Marc, Bryn and Lori

Unfortunately cancer has invaded our family yet again and this time it is my beloved eldest granddaughter Kay. At only thirty-one she has been diagnosed  with breast cancer which thankfully has been caught at an early stage. She is BRCA positive which she fortunately knew  prior to  Alex's birth so has been vigilant about breast exams. She and Richard will be meeting with her surgeon and oncologist to discuss treatment options next week. When Kay and Richard came over to tell  me  she quickly informed me that she wasn’t pregnant knowing that’s the  first thing that pops into my mind  when my kids announce that they have something to tell me! I certainly was not prepared for another cancer diagnosis in our family.

I am always especially grateful  to have a large family at times like this as there is strength in numbers and we always face any crisis together. I know Richard’s family is going to be totally committed to supporting Kay and Richard through this too.

Ming Jon will be here next week to celebrate Thanksgiving with us and then right after Christmas Lori, Blake and Claudia will be here along with Leslee-Ann. Craig, Ray  Callie and Bryn and hopefully Marc will be persuaded  to join us all!   Kay and Richard are going to be surrounded by love, support and prayers.

 The recently held midterm elections thankfully spared us a massive increase in Republican winners but of course it hasn’t stopped Trump from declaring his intention to run for the Presidency of the United States again. The fact that he is facing serious civil and criminal charges in many  states  does not seem to affect him or his mob minded supporters. Hopefully he will not win his party’s nomination or better yet be convicted by then on several counts. My blood pressure medicine would have to be doubled if he were to ever be allowed to run again.

Last month we celebrated  three family birthdays: Richard’s, Sarah’s and Coryn’s. It just so happened that Coryn , Ava Claire, and Owen all spent the night at my house on October 20th prior to her birthday on Friday, October 21st. Coryn had to work on Friday but the children had the day off school so thus I had a  houseful that Friday: Liam. Lochlan, and Alex were also here and Emmy Lou arrived later in the day for an impromptu birthday dinner for Coryn! Ava  Claire had called me previously to let me know that she and Owen wanted to do something for their mom which would involve an art project and baking cupcakes! Grandma   was well prepared with cake mixes, frosting,  sprinkles,candies,  decorative picks, colored sugars, and candles.I think Liam may have consumed more cupcakes than he decorated and he was certainly not following Ava Claire’s instructions as well as Owen but they put a lot of effort into it! Alex and Lochlan were happy to watch the big kids decorate as they mashed cupcakes into their mouths.

Liam watching the older kids decorate up cakes whil he eats one

Owen' Ava Claire and Liam decoratngcupcakes.

On the days  my grandchildren spend with me at my house they manage to leave my floors covered in spilled milk, food that hasn’t made it into their mouths, toys strewn everywhere,  my kitchen counters covered in sippy cups, bottles, plastic bowls and a trash can full of stinky diapers. But the clean up of all this mess is a small price to pay for the priceless memories we are making together. 

Alex, Lochlan, and Liam in the wagon being pushed/pulled by Owen and Ava Claire

Lochlan would lik some of Owen's lunch!

Lunchtime!

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You can just see Ava Claire in sunglasses  behind Liam's head!

Ming Lee’s birthday is November 21st and it always makes me smile  when I  remember how much he loved his birthday as a child - he alway wanted a party! In truth Ming Lee could turn any day into an instant party with his ability to utilize anything into a competitive game - like throwing ping pong balls off of my deck into flower pots in the garden below while he and his siblings trampled through my flower beds to retrieve lost balls. The more upset I got the more fun he had! All of you will have memories of his  central role in your birthday parties in the gym at the old YMCA! I love looking through the family albums and reliving these happy memories.

I am pleased to report that this tough old bird got a clean bill of health at my annual check-up so I should be strutting my stuff for awhile yet! So thankful for all of you and wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving stuffed with family and love! Mother

Liam enjoyng an ie cream treat with his ousins on Grandma's deck!

 Ava Claire and Owen

Lochlan in one of the chairs I dragged out from the kitchen to hopefull keep the mess contained!

Alex in the the other chair  and both boys needed a bath after! More work for Grandma but they loved it!

Alex and Lochlan - these two are less than three months apart in age but  big size diference!

Exploring my garden! Ava Claire and Owen are such great helpers!

We went through a lot of cups and bottles!

 THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOLUME 147 September 2022 

Dear Readers, 

The highlight of July was Lori and Clauia’s visit for several days. Shortly before their arrival Lori texted me to explain that she and Claudia were on the intermittent fasting diet: eating only between 11:30 am and 7:00pm so they no longer ate breakfast. Therefore I should not bake any breakfast breads, coffee cakes or purchase donuts to ensure a good start to the day. This was not good news for my sweet tooth as I only indulge in unhealthy but delicious sugary baked goods when I have guests - otherwise I eat a small carton of yogurt. I was concerned that acceptable lunch and dinner menus might be a cup of vegetables and a small portion of lean protein but Lori assured me that they were eating whatever they wanted when not fasting. 

While I stretched out on the couch with my coffee and yogurt watching the morning news, Lori and Claudia would each sip a cup of tea and head out into an already hot and humid day for a brisk early morning walk. I marveled at their ability to exercise on an empty stomach. I can barely summon the energy to get out of bed on an empty stomach! I was still trying to muster enough energy to get off the coach and get dressed for the day when they returned, all hot and sweaty and ready to shower. 

Coryn invited us to a delicious lunch at her house one day and arranged a special event for us: candle making at a store in downtown Lees Summit. Josh decided to join us, perhaps thinking that he would enjoy the candle making process but ended up being assigned to stay with Owen while Ava Claire elected to go with the rest of us. He might have enjoyed candle making but not all the stores we visited that afternoon! Exploring all the shops in the downtown area gave us a chance to cool off after cooking on the sidewalks. 

We enjoyed picking out the scents we would blend to make our candles - there was a lot of choice- I picked Lily of the Valley, Eucalyptus, and White Tea and Fig! We were all happy with our blended scents! I keep mine on my desk and take a whiff every so often to remind me of the fun we had that day! Lori insisted on buying us all an ice-cream treat at some point that afternoon and we all enjoyed being able to sit in an ice cold ice cream parlor for a while before forcing ourselves out onto the sizzling sidewalks again in one hundred plus degree weather! 

Another day Lori, Claudia and I went grocery shopping to cook dinner for us, Coryn, Ava Clare, Owen, Josh, Sean, Sarah, Emmy Lou, Liam and Lochlan at their home.! Unfortunately Kay, Richard and Alex could not join us as they had been exposed to Covid . They had tested negative but thought it prudent to wait a few days to retest before mixing with us.I think organizing a meal for twelve and being around five very active children assured that Lori and Claudia would sleep well that night! Claudia has endless patience with all her nephews and nieces who love playing with her!

Ava Claire, Emmy Lou, Owen and Lochlan on Claudia's lap

                             

Owen, Emm Lou, Ava Claire, Claudia with Lochlan and a very unhappy Liam!

Lori and Claudia graciously invited me to dinner at Bolings Chinese Restaurant so conveniently located five minutes from my house and another day they cooked crab legs - from the Hen House of course- for us. I have to say that we were eating such sumptuous food during their stay that I actually had no appetite for my usual evening snacks and didn’t eat a bite after dinner either for the duration of their stay .Unfortunately I did not lose any poundage on this regime! 

Lori’s birthday fell the day after her planned return to Indy so we hosted an early surprise birthday party for her one night and Coryn did a fabulous job of baking two gorgeous cakes that were beautifully decorated :one was chocolate and the other a lime and coconut confection which was perfect for a hot summer’s day! Jeremy was able to join us in time for dessert as he left work much earlier than usual to mark the special occasion! 

Lori blowing out her candles with an assist from Owen

     

On the day before Lori and Claudia left the Flaig family tested negative for Covid the second time and so it was deemed safe for Kay and Alex to visit! I am so glad that they were able to spend time with all the family here in Kansas City and of course to see the many changes in the youngest family members since their last visit! We are very much hoping that they and Blake will spend Christmas with us here this year! Then they can meet their newest nephew and cousin shortly after his birth! 

August was a busy month for me as Coryn returned to work three weeks ahead of her children.Ava Claire and Owen attended a day camp in Lees Summit for the first week then switched over to Grandma’s camp on the three days of the week I regularly babysit my younger grandchildren. They were a lot of help with their younger cousins who adore them. I was actually able to pull some weeds in my garden while they pushed the kids in strollers,wagons,bikes and toy cars around the cul de sac. One of my neighbors teased me about having a daycare license claiming that every time he looked out of his window he saw another car pulling into my driveway unloading kids! 

Lochlan, Liam and Owen eating a pile of goldfish together!

Grandma with Lochlan and Alec who both insist my lap belongs to them

Coryn has been reading the Harry Potter Books with her children and they are all enjoying this activity very much! Lori had a Quidditch robe that her kids had played dress up in many years ago that she gave them - it is almost permanently worn by Owen - even in 100 degree heat and humidity. Ava Claire rarely seemed to have a chance to put it on so we found a Hermione costume for her on Amazon. I have recently bought a large black wagon- that can fit three toddlers- which they turned into the train leaving for Hogwarts on platform thirteen and a half! The little kids know nothing of Harry Potter of course but are more than willing to play along! 

picking out bath bombs in his robe

Grandma trying to mainain her distance - that kid in the weird costume ha nothing to do with me !

So in love with his Harry Potter Quidditch cape is Owen that he even wore it to the Hen House one evening while we were shopping for snacks for movie night and donuts for breakfast the next day! Yes, they had a couple of sleepovers while at my camp! Grandma tolerated his refusal to remove his cape no matter the risk of heat stroke but firmly closed the chapter on loudly casting spells on my deck late at night when many of my elderly neighbors might already be sleeping. I did allow five kids to run around my house using chopsticks as imaginary wands - praying that no -one got poked in the eye.

Speaking of chopsticks Lori and Claudia gifted very cute kid friendly chopstick sets to all the kids as they know how much they love trying to use them! I often put a bowl of chopped fruit out and let them all try to grab a piece with chopsticks. Cladia actually took Ava Claire and Owen to one of our nearby Chinese grocery stores - a place I frequented a lot to fix your dad’s favorite meals! I haven’t been there in years now as the distinctive smells were never appetizing to me! Claudia is an adventurous eater like her dad and thought her cousins should be exposed to the delights of asian cuisine other than the standard restaurant fare! 

Josh has returned to Bolivia, I took him to the airport in late August wondering when he might return but of course Josh has no plans - except to leave Bolivia after a few months for Brazii He has been volunteering for a number of years now at an animal rescue park , loving his daily walk with death as he allows big cats- like a puma- to lead him into the jungle and amazingly enough in all the years he has been caring for them he has never been mistaken for prey.This year, to further add to my stress, they have forest fires to fight - Josh is on a fire team and has a water pack. This is a very scary situation for a mother to comprehend - my son could either be raw meat or burnt ends for the cats to devour. I take comfort in knowing that frugal Josh would think a free cremation and ash scattering on land he loves would be a fitting end! That he volunteers for this seems madness to those of us who lack his passion for adventure, life endangering volunteerism and being immersed in different cultures. 

With Josh away I was forced to use my do-it-yourself skills when I noticed that a couple of tiles in my shower, just above the drain pan , seemed to be pulling away from the wall. I used my finger nail and confirmed my suspicion. The tiles were loose. I watched a how to fix the problem video on Utube and headed to Lowes for tile adhesive, grout, grout sealer and caulk. It took me longer to clean all the gunk off the back of the tiles and the wall than it did to stick the tiles back on! I had to wait a day or two before grouting and decided that I would caulk over the weekend. Sean inspected my handiwork and volunteered to recaulk the entire shower for me if I would watch Emmy Lou and Liam on Sunday while he did it.. Lochlan would stay with Sarah so they could both nap! I tok Sean up on this great offer as I was only planning on replacing the caulk I had removed to fix the tiles! 

Sean showed up with the kids and lunch earlier than I had anticipated so I wasn’t even dressed for the day! A couple of hours into Sean stripping the old caulk out of my bathroom and spraying bleach in every nook and crevice in case of mold - of which I couldn't see any - Kay arrived with Alex and thus the cousins had an unexpected playdate and I got to enjoy another free meal as 

Kay insisted on picking up dinner for us that night! Sean did an excellent job and I was very grateful to him knowing how little free time he has with a demanding job and three soon to be four demanding kids! 

Some months ago the house next door to mine was sold to a young couple,Kristen and Ollie and amazingly Ollie is English, a Lodoner and Eurasian like all my children - his mother is Japanese though. Our cul de sac is very excited to finally have some new young blood in our neighborhood and I see a lot of tea parties in our future! They bought the house in February but did not move in until after their marriage in June by which time, the vacant house had beenoccupied by mice. That probably explains my issue with mice this year! Must have run out of room next door! After living in the house for a couple of weeks Kristen and Ollie left for a five week trip to Europe and this time returned to find the house infested with recluse spiders that have a life threatening bite for some people. Personally I would have thought their lifestyle better suited to a townhouse or condo as I do not think they realized how hard it is to maintain an empty house!They have also found a few big ticket repairs that need to be made to the house because they bought it without a home inspection due to the very competitive housing market putting them up against multiple buyers! However we are a close knit neighborhood so I know we will all pitch in to help! 

Kay has begun working towards her third degree - this one in educational administration as she works her way up the ladder to better pay and professional advancement.Fortunately Alex continues to be a fairly easy child who loves to play outside, especially with water! 

Lochlan’s first birthday on August 27th was cause for another family celebration as Sean and Sarah hosted a huge cookout. Both my youngest grandsons are walking now and this makes playing in the yard easier - when crawling everything goes in their mouth from grass to acorns. 

Unfortunately we have not been able to hold any of our celebrations outside this year as we have endured months of high heat and humidity with very little rain. My water bill has doubled this year as I have to water every day to keep my flower beds alive.! Climate change is definitely here. I dread the thought of having to plant a desert landscape all too soon. 

Sean remembered that I had made a Halloween costume for Calie one year when she was a character in the Sonic movie and thus felt that I could perhaps tackle one for Emy Lou who has decided she wants to be Ash in Sing 2 which requires me to make a porcupine costume! This promises to be a prickly challenge but mother will sharpen her needles, stiffen her backbone and spike her drinks for the next few weeks and create a pointedly sharp porcupine costume! Love from your sometimes prickly but always loving Moher!

 THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 146                                                   JULY 2022

Dear Readers,

Many members of  our family have been  braving the chaos of our airports:  my recent experience,  documented in my last newsletter,  was obviously not a deterrent  to any of my readers!

Bryn spent a few weeks in France and Spain, Kay, Richard and Alex flew to Washington DC for a week over the Fourth of July and the Logue Family spent a week in Daytona Beach where Ava Claire was competing in Dance Nationals Competitions. The Remsburgs drove up from Orlando to visit the Logues at the beach for a few days. Ming-Jon made a surprise trip to Kansas City for Alex’s first birthday and Marc visited us recently!

Lori and Claudia spent  time  in San Francisco visiting Blake- who is doing  a paid internship there this summer before he heads back to Santa Monica to spend a semester working for the company he interned for last summer! I am sure he will be glad to hang out with Uncle Marc and Uncle Bryn again! 

 Lori and Claudia  kept busy while Blake was working, finding  vintage clothing shops for Claudia to treasure hunt in, amazing food, ChinaTown and a very meaningful visit to the Mountain View Mausoleum in Oakland to pay their respects to Pau Pau and Gung Gung. They enjoyed diners with Blake and his visits to their place to use the shower! Apparently the water heater was broken in his rental apartment!  He suffered cold showers at Marc’s last year too when the water heater  died. Seems to be a lot of water woes in California!

Blake, Lori and Claudia in San Francisco

Our Kansas City family is looking  forward to Lori and Claudia’s impending visit when we can guarantee a very warm welcome with triple digit heat!  

The only family members not  to have flown since the Covid Pandemic : Sarah and Sean and their three - soon to be FOUR - kids! I wonder why they are not  heading to the airport this summer? I can’t  imagine that checking three car seats, a stroller for three, multiple suitcases and entertaining a three year old, a two year old, and a soon to be one year old for the duration of a flight would be much of a challenge! 

I am predicting that their new baby BOY will arrive Thanksgiving week! Hopefully a few weeks ahead of Emmy Lou’s 4th birthday in December! We already have two family birthdays on June 8th - Owen and Alex  - so hopefully we will not be doubling up again!

CONGRATULATIONS TO SARAH AND SEAN

  ON YOUR FOURTH PREGNANCY!

I certainly hope that Sarah and Sean’s new minivan will be delivered to them before number four arrives- they do have three rows of seats in their Mazda CX9  but currently have all three car seats in one row as they claim it is too hard to access the back row! It takes months to get a new car now! Uncle Josh also has three car seats in his car’s back seat - I can just imagine what a date would say on getting into his car and  spotting that line up! Probably call an Uber on the spot!

 Ava Claire and her dance school performed well in the National Dance competition in Daytona Beach and she herself won first place with her solo routine dancing to Aretha Franklin’s “Freedom”. However in order to achieve the level of success that the dancers did it requires at least three days of practice a week, and intensive training over the summer and all school breaks . Ava Claire has decided that she would rather spend her time being a kid, enjoying more time with friends and family  and so will only be taking a couple of classes next year and will not be on the competition squad. Her parents will be saving a lot of money on classes. costumes and travel expenses! And of course we all agree that it is too demanding on a nine year old who does not desire to be a career dancer at this point in her life!

Owen, Callie, Ava Claire and Ray on Daytona Beach

Cousin time !

 As soon as  Ava Claire returned home she insisted on spending a few days at Grandma's to compensate for the time Owen spent with me the previous week! So on July 7th Coryn came for lunch with Ava and Owen and Kay came with Alex. Fortunately I had just been to the grocery store to purchase everything for my Friday night extravaganza: a casual family dinner to welcome Marc. Since we have been enduring  a  heat wave for weeks I refuse to add to it by using my ovens or cooktop. Thus I decided on a salad and a do- it -yourself  sandwich bar. 

So of course I offered this to the girls for lunch as I always over buy at the grocery store!  The girls  both had other plans for Friday  so would not be eating the same meal twice !  Of course when I pulled it all out on Friday night Sean and Josh noticed that the salads had been depleted and seemed to be absolutely scandalized that I was offering not only a do-it-yourself  meal to Marc but one that consisted of leftovers!  I thought it wise not to mention that I had actually pulled my Kitchen-Aid  out the previous afternoon to make a batch of playdough for Ava Claire ! Frankly I think they were lucky to get anything that night as I had been babysitting Liam and Lochlan all that day - with Ava Claire’s help of course as she had spent the previous  night!

 On Thursday night Ava Claire and I had decided to inflate the big pool with the slide as well as a regular pool for the kids to enjoy on Friday so I backed my car out of the garage so we could set the pools up in the garage overnight as I didn’t want to risk a strong wind blowing them across Quivera  causIng a car crash! Even with the garage door open and the sun no longer burning down on us it felt like being in a sauna! 

Marc , Josh, Sean and Emmy Lou pulled into my driveway about four O’Clock on Friday to see their nephews running around naked  in and out of the pools and my adult sons were horrified!! I assured them that they had done exactly the same thing at that age which further  upset them. I explained that it was good for their little bottoms to be exposed to the fresh air. They questioned what my neighbor’s would think - absolutely nothing as they are all too old to care! I did have a new Peppa Pig swimsuit for Emmy Lou as she would definitely want to be dressed like her cousin Ava Claire!

After supper that evening and the departure of my guests I went out to water my garden while Ava Clare started the clean up in the house! She was highly motivated as the faster everything gets done the more time we have to play her favorite games! She loves to use my heated wet mop to clean the kitchen and bathroom floors! She polished the dining room table while I vacuumed up enough dropped food from the children to fill an adult plate! Ava Claire got a brief reprieve from cleaning when my neighbor Charlene dropped by and invited her to take a late evening stroll with her while I tackled more mess! 

On Saturday morning we slept in until nine O’clock and then I had to get dressed and head to the Hen House without even a sip of coffee so we could pick out donuts for breakfast and  vanilla ice cream for Sean’s cookout later that day. 

Marc got to experience the deafening noise his nieces and nephews make when they are together! As usual the babies were all vying for my lap with Alex determinedly pushing Lochlan off and stealing his bottle from him as well! Lochan was soon back for round two!

While Sean was tending to his pulled pork and lamb in the smoker we enjoyed Jeremy’s delicious bruschetta with mozzarella  and various meats and cheeses that Sarah had set out for us. Owen spent most of his time playing video games  with whoever he could persuade to play with him while the younger kids seemed to run around in circles from one room to another shrieking with excitement: punctuated with blood curdling screams when Liam got too rough with Lochlan!

We all feasted on roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts, Mexican corn, pasta salad, lamb and pulled pork! Emy Lou - with some help from daddy  - had made us a Gruffalo raspberry and blackberry crumble for dessert topped with my contribution - store bought vanilla ice-cream!  Ava Claire went home with her parents and I returned to my house , enjoying peace and quiet for the first time in days!

 Lori recently accepted a reward on Ming-Lees behalf. He was  posthumously awarded  Purple Wings by Fed EX, not only for his exemplary record as a Flight Captain but for his outstanding leadership too. Here are excerpts from  his testimonials:

‘He (Ming Lee) is a paragon of integrity and selfless service to his fellow crew members. When a crew member was  crushed between the front of a hotel van and the back of a limousine he was there.

He took immediate action to render first aid and secure emergency services. He stayed by the crewmember’s side and accompanied him to the hospital. He coordinated with the crew member's spouse and maintained contact with the crew member throughout the long sixteen hour surgery recovery.

He has coordinated two honor guards for FedEx crew members who have fallen in the field. In both cases he coordinated the return of the remains, arranged for the families to be present on the FedEx ramp when the remains were returned via FedEx flights, and led honor guards comprised of friends and colleagues of the fallen crew. ‘

Another excerpt:

‘He has served Fedex as a 727 captain and LCA, MD-11 and 767 captain. He is not just a leader but a mentor and servant leader. He is a role model whose Human Factors expertise should be emulated by all crew members. His technical proficiency and consistently demonstrated superlative airmanship have earned the respect of his fellow pilots. It’s his mastery of all things Human Factors, however, which has made him an inspirational role model. Ask any student or fellow officer who has flown with him and they will predictably say the same thing “I want to be like him”. And they do. Not just as a pilot but as a person too. His heart of servant leadership and service to his fellow crew members is transparent. On the flight deck he facilitated an environment that inspired his crew to perform to the best of their abilities. He did this by formulating a  team mentality and encouraging the open flow of information. 

Off the flight deck he was an inspirational leader who lived to serve others. He was the FDX ALPA Bereavement Chairman for eight years. He served his fellow pilots as the FDX Critical Incident Coordinator. And he was especially  proud of his role as Indy Pilots for Kids  Coordinator. He served in that capacity for eleven  years, arranging for him and his fellow pilots to distribute gifts to underprivileged and hospitalized children in Indianapolis.’

I know that we are all very proud of Ming-Lee and all his many accomplishments. We all carry a piece of him in our hearts and think of him constantly. We owe a lot of our love of family togetherness to him. And there has been a lot of that too recently!

On June 8th Owen and Alex celebrated their seventh and first birthdays. Owen and Ava had a joint family birthday at my house with the family and Alex had two celebrations. One his actual birthday when Kay and Richard  invited me and Rchard’s parents to a birthday luncheon where the biggest surprise was Ming Jon ringing the doorbell. No-one knew he was coming to visit so he was fortunate to find the Flaig’s home! It was just in time for the birthday cake! They had had a pizza party previously for other family and friends

Grandma with Alex on his 1st birthday

 Kay and Richard with the birthday boy

Ming-Jon's suprise visit!

Mother has wilted in this heat.No amount of water seems able to revive me or my garden. I keep hoping that my extra pounds will melt away : so much sweat drips off my body  daily when watering  that I do double duty as a drip hose. Unfortunately I need a bowl of icecream to cool me down and a handful - or two - of chips to replenish my salts which is probably negating my fluid loss! Love Mother

Visitng Pau Pau ad Gung Gung at Moutain View Mausoleum:top 

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