Sunday, August 14, 2016
Clyde was my cousin. He was just a few months younger than me. We were the first children in our families and our mothers were very close sisters. He and I were always together in our younger days. He was my first friend, buddy and partner in mischief.
I fondly remember watching the TV program, "Outer Limits." Clyde would get nightmares afterwards. We also loved to wrestle and just learn about life together.
I was so proud of Clyde when he joined the Marines. He had a living nightmare at boot camp in Paris Island, but he persevered to proudly serve his country.
Clyde was with me when I caught my first fish at Darien Lake before it was an amusement park. I fished with him a few more times near his home and all through the night on Braddock's Bay. He taught us how to catch creek crabs for bait and take the hooks off Bullhead. I always admired his amazing skills.
Clyde and I were often corralled by our mothers to play 500, their favorite card game. We would play this game all night long.
As we got older, work and life separated us, but his independence and determination to live his more quiet life was exactly what he wanted. Recently, our Uncle George Reiss and I met Clyde for breakfast. We caught up and promised to get together again. He will be greatly missed.
