Posted by Thomas R Mewborn on July 18, 2026:

Ned was my uncle and the closest brother to my dad. I guess that has something to do with why he meant so much to me. Also, uncle Ned was a soldier, which I admired. He also showed a lot of interest in me, even though he lived so far away from us for most of my childhood. Ned and aunt Eleanor lived in what seemed to me to be the most exotic places, all over the world. So, anytime they came to visit us in Kinston, NC was such a treat. It was my uncle Ned, who gave me my first rifle, and then a shotgun, taught me about hunting and skeet shooting. Eventually, when he retired from the Army and became a stock broker, he taught me about investing. This last lesson has served me well all my life and contributed greatly to my ability to be self-sufficient and comfortable for my whole life. Ned was my dad's closest brother, which I guess also helped endear him to me. The most emotion I ever heard in my dad's voice was the day he called me to tell me that Ned had died. He could barely get the words out of his mouth over the phone. I'm sorry that I never got the chance to spend a lot of time with uncle Ned, but what time I did get to be with him, I've never forgotten. It is now 46 years since he died and I still wish that I could talk to him and ask him about his and my dad's adventures as boys. I miss my uncle Ned and aunt Eleanor. They both had a much larger impact on my life than seems warranted by the small amount of time we actually got to spend together.

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