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My poor mom; her frequent lament when her three sons were growing up was that she never had a daughter.
I tried to console her by reminding her that she had two adopted daughters: Inky and Holly, our two family pooches, but to no avail.
Personally, I wish I did have a sister. I could have used the insider information on how the female mind worked when I started dating. I eventually gave up trying to figure out that eternal conundrum.
A little more than 21 years ago, my mom did welcome a granddaughter into the Eggert family, and what an addition she was: Cute, smart and personable.
She has been a cheerful light at any family function.
Her name is Amanda Marie, but her older brother Timmy had trouble with her name when she was born, so he called her “Dee” and the name stuck with her, much like my family name “Denny.” (I was born William Dennis, and the “fam” called me Denny, so as not to confuse me with my dad and granddad, who were also named Bill).
Living in Atlanta during Dee’s childhood, I had only seen her during my annual summer and Christmas vacations. Like any good uncle, I liked to tease my niece.
Dee named her favorite doll “Lumpy” as a small child.
Lumpy was a sort of yellowish cloth teddy bear. Dee was fiercely loyal to Lumpy, even when Lumpy became well-worn.
Her parents bought her a new, identical Lumpy to replace the old one, but Dee promptly banished “Lumpy II” to the toy box, with the original Lumpy still her eternal BFF (Best Friend Forever, for those not hip to text lingo).
I used to tease Dee about Lumpy, asking her if I could borrow Lumpy when I left, so when my plane flew over her home in Richland (as I flew back to Atlanta) I would throw Lumpy out of the plane so it would land in her backyard.
Dee was horrified at the prospect, and refused my kind offer. It never occurred to her that a plane departing Greater Pittsburgh Airport would actually detour
80 miles east over Johnstown on its trip south to Georgia.
There was a movie out at that time called “Throw Mama from the Train,” and I told Dee that we could make a new movie called “Throw Lumpy from the Plane.”
Needless to say, Dee was not amused …
Fast-forward to 2011, and Dee will be graduating from Pitt-Oakland in the school’s medical program this spring.
She has also been a Pitt cheerleader all four years, and her family is very proud of the beautiful, bright and dedicated young woman she has grown into.
Like any girl her age she has her faults (inexplicably she is a Lady Gaga fan) but then, nobody is perfect. She also has a weakness for Vera Wang clothing, but then, what female her age doesn’t?
If there is one thing that has rocked my world it would be how fast my niece and nephew have grown up. The hardest thing is to realize that they are adults, while I have memories of them as kids that seem like only yesterday.
One day several years ago, I was visiting my brother at his home. We heard crying coming from the kids’ room, and rushed in to see what was the matter.
Entering their room, my brother consoled my nephew, while I consoled 2-year-old Dee as she stood in her crib.
As she held onto me sobbing I felt her warm tears on my shoulder. I doubt if Dee even remembers the incident, but I will never forget that memory of comforting her.
Bill Eggert is a Johnstown resident.
Bill Eggert
BILL EGGERT | Nice to have a niece
- Bill Eggert
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BILL EGGERT | Challenges confront Catholic Church locally and abroad
My mom has advised me on numerous occasions to avoid the topics of politics and religion in my column. Being an obedient son, I occasionally ignore her advice while tending to temper my remarks on said subjects.
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BILL EGGERT | Photographs and memories: Capturing the past
When I visited my mom this past Christmas I discovered she had a couple of boxes out from the attic of old black and white photos of various family members, many now unfortunately gone. All we have left are the memories and photographs of those who touched our lives and those who passed before we were born. How fortunate we all are to have this amazing invention of photography (and now digital photography) to preserve people and memories, like archeological bugs in amber.
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BILL EGGERT | Anniversary reflections: Looking back over past 6 years
January marks the sixth anniversary of my column in The Tribune-Democrat. As I embark on the seventh year of my column, I reflect back on the previous six years.
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BILL EGGERT | Oscar the Grouch: Remembering Jack Klugman
We have lost another television icon recently. A versatile and highly respected character actor of stage, screen and television, Jack Klugman’s career spanned approximately 60 years. His performances garnered three Emmy Awards and several additional nominations. Klugman’s Broadway credits include “Golden Boy,” Gypsy” and “The Odd Couple.” His film credits include memorable performances in “12 Angry Men” (1957), “Days of Wine and Roses” (1962) and “Goodbye Columbus” (1969).
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BILL EGGERT | Remembering the Great One: Roberto Clemente
New Year’s Eve 1972: A date that began with much joy and anticipation in western Pennsylvania, but ended with much sadness.
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BILL EGGERT | The Feast of the Immaculate Reception
Imagine, if you will, a 40-year-old professional football franchise, a laughingstock organization celebrated for its ineptitude, owned by a colorful yet saintly cigar-smoking Irishman. Originally called the Pirates and later the Steelers, the team was dubbed by the media and long-frustrated fans as “Rooney U,” whose proficiency was of college level, reflecting the team’s lack of success in the NFL.
But in their 40th year, on a cold December afternoon, in a matter of 22 seconds, the city and the team’s fortunes, mindset and image went from loser to winner in that Cinderella moment - forever known as the “Feast of the Immaculate Reception.” -
BILL EGGERT | 50 years later, movie fans still bonding with 007
While next year marks the 60th anniversary of his literary debut by author Ian Fleming, this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of secret agent extraordinaire James Bond in motion pictures, with the latest Bond film “Skyfall” opening in theaters.
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BILL EGGERT | Best friends forever
I find it remarkable that so many folks, especially young people, have literally hundreds of friends on their Facebook page. They have not been alive long enough to have that many friends, much less acquaintances.
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BILL EGGERT | Space program gave us stars with right stuff
Those of a certain age remember when our space program was in its infancy, in a tight race with the Soviet Union.
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BILL EGGERT | Semper Fi
Where has the summer gone? Already the days are growing shorter and cooler. The fireflies, a popular staple of summer nights, are already almost gone, not to be seen again until next summer. The Perseid meteor shower, another sign of the close of summer, has come and gone. August is almost over, and Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer, is fast approaching.
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