Tuesday, May 9, 2017
I'm sitting in the Denver airport heading to Phoenix to pick up my mom Dot List, sister-in-law of Darwin. Its very unlikely I grin at the fact I have an hour layover, but it has allowed my meandering mind and google search about Darwin to lead me here. "Uncle Darwin" Kathy, and his sons Todd & Tony have been a blessing to my family. I have fond memories of family trips to Arizona for Christmas, which is very foreign coming from Nebraska so you can agree that Christmas lights on cactus isn't what they show in the movies. Family trips to South Dakota on the other hand were full of snow, hunting, black hills, and shenanigans. When I close my eyes the memories are phenomenal because they are full of happy emotions, smells, stories. The emotions of happiness as Uncle Darwin always smiling and joking with us nieces and nephews about sports or girls or his sons. I always remember wondering why my dad was never so much fun. (Sorry Dad) The smells that infiltrate my mind when I think about "Uncle Darwin" are of breakfast, for some reason I always have a great bacon and eggs breakfast with Darwin but it was always after he went outside to smoke so early in the morning. I think he knew something we all don't know about the quiet and calm and freshness that a morning brings. The stories are the best, stories about "Uncle Darwin" and the stories he told about my dad and other were the best. I'll miss all these things but we all know he made such a great impact on our lives while he was here we don't have to worry that he is gone because he will live on in our memories through all 6 senses, forever.
Joel List
Darwin's nephew
