Saturday, September 13, 2014

Cousins: Family and Connection

Of all of my 1st cousins on my father's side of the family, I was the baby of that generation of the clan. By the time I came along in 1949, many of those cousins were already in high school, and some were already married with children of there own, a couple of such children being as old or even a little order then me.

That providence of differing ages made family get-together's interesting for me. As a young kid, it was a little fuzzy at times as to how everyone related to me. The other impact was that I did not have the degree of mutual experiences with these older cousins that I had with those on Mom's side of the family that were more my age and generation. That pretty well describes the gap that existed; it was a generation gap. Some of them were actually closer to my Father in age then they were to me. Sadly, some of those cousins are no longer with us; they have passed away and the opportunity to connect and relate has passed.

With my retirement back in December of 2013, I find I am now having time to "catch up" with the lives of some of those older cousins who are still with us. We've had occasion to get together and visit, and share some of the stories of our lives. I find in that a certain fulfillment. These cousins are family and also friends. I hear stories about my Grandpa and Grandma, and about my Aunts and Uncles, and of course, the cousins themselves. After all these years, I am connecting with them on a level not previously known. That's pretty neat, and it is pretty precious.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Livia Jidov-Williamson Baldwin

Liva (Jidov-Williamson) Baldwin was born June 20, 1914, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was the firstborn child of Dan (Dimitri) & Gafia Jidov. She passed away Wednesday, February 26, 2014 in Texas. She was 4 months shy of reaching the age of 100.

Livia was preceded in death by her parents, her six younger siblings, Malany, Ann, Elizabeth, Julie, George, and James, as well as her first husband Albert C. Williamson, and second husband Jerry Baldwin.

She is survived by her three children, Thomas (Janet) Williamson of Wheaton,Illinois; Beverly (Dennis) Stostad of Round Rock, Texas; and Nancy (Bill) Newcomer, Ada, Michigan; 7 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held Monday, March 3, 2014, 9:45 AM, at the Cook-Walden-Davis Funeral home in Georgetown, TX; Pastor Rick Brann officiating. Interment will be at the Central Texas Veterans Cemetery, Killeen, Texas. A private family time of remembrance will be held at a later date.

Arrangements through Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home, 2900 Williams Drive, Georgetown, TX

Mom loved The Lord, and her confidence in life and in death was in her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.