The Great Bubbette

The top pic is not the clearest but it shows a young Bubba and Bubbette with their deceased son Robert. The bottom picture is their grown family minus daughter Susan's ( on Bubba's left) two adopted sons. Susan's youngest daughter Ali is also adopted. The handsome young gentleman to Bubbette's right is Herbert Stelwyn Gates the III (aka Bert) and his wife Kathy. In front of Bert are his children Herbert Stelwyn Gates IV (aka Buddy) and Jenna. Jenna is a Sophomore at Duke so this picture is a little dated.

Bubbette you will need to convene the fam for a new pic. Perhaps when we do the family reunion you called me about this summer we can do individual family pics and one big pic. How about that?

Back to Bubbette. Warning......Bubbette....I will probably tell more than you want anyone to know so you might want to stop reading now. When I met Bubbette, she was called Dee Dee. She was about 16 or 18. She was my brother's girlfriend. The only one I ever met. She went to the University of Maryland and HAD HER OWN CHRYSLER CONVERTIBLE. Back in the day, a Chrysler was like a Cadillac....very high status. She also had a fur coat....how I know this stuff I don't know. Her family lived year round in the community where my family had a beach cottage. Her dad was FAMOUS for cooking and eating BOILED PEANUTS which most people thought were YUK. (He was actually from South Carolina I later found out.)

Well, Buddy and Diane got engaged and the next thing I knew her family had moved to the other side of the tracks so to speak. My family never told me ANYTHING (I think they thought I MIGHT tell someone) so I had no clue why until a hundred years later when Diane and I talked about it. No more Chrysler. Her Mom went to work....I can't remember where. I remember Diane telling me her Dad threw all their clothes out in the yard.....and he left town for California. He was not at their wedding...and as far as I know was never seen again. Diane's Mom was left to raise three college age children herself. (and her sister Emma moved in also)

Diane's Mom, Betty, was a Hoot. She had the best sense of humor....I think she was the first person I met who had one other than my aunt Clara who died when I was 12. Diane learned to be a survivor from her Mom. Once Bubba became a Doc Diane never had to do without financially but she has had other hardships and the woman can flat out cope! She can pack up a house and sell it and buy another one a gazillion miles away with out batting an eye. (and she will get the best price on both) The woman has cooked breakfast for my brother every day of her fifty plus years of marriage.....and made his lunch and supper. We are not talking heating a can of ravioli, we are talking fillet Mignon with Bearnaise sauce, pasta primavera, asparagus roasted with garlic, baked Alaska (she really cooked that for ME one time).

Bubbette has been my ROLE MODEL of what a WIFE and MOTHER should be. Lots of hugs and kisses for her husband and kids. Lots of praise for them. Unfailing good cheer when anyone else would kick them in the b-u-t-t! (I mean r-e-a-r!)

So hears to you Bubbette......may you live at least as long as I do....and on the same street in heaven so we can visit a lot more than we have on earth....and if I told anything you didn't want told.....call me quick and I'll take it out.