Your Dad

The last time Dad came by to see you was in June, 2017.  I got a misdirected call for him earlier this year, and was asked to speak with Robert Carroll of Pittston, which supports my belief that he is living nearby.  He is so close and yet so far away from you.   Last weekend I spent a long weekend in Webster (unfortunately neither of you were able to come as you're in school) and Jon reminded me of the many times he and Dad talked together.  They are both full of interesting reminiscences and stories.  Dad can be charming, and has a nice laugh.  I do think about Dad as a father of young children.  Here are some of the things that come to mind....

First of all, your Dad was in the room when both of you were born.  Dad saw you, talked to you and held you before I did.  He was very proud of having boys.  (And very much wanted you, Rob, to be named after him and his father.)  It was certainly a huge adjustment for us to have baby Alex to care for, but by the time baby Robby came along we were "in the groove" with infant care.  I hated de-snuffling your noses with the aspirator since you cried the entire time - when it was necessary, Dad did it most often and did his best to make it easier by telling you how it would be over soon etc.  This was especially frequent for you Alex, since you were a winter baby.  He changed many diapers and sets of clothes, and was happy to do baby bath time in the kitchen sink (which you also disliked a lot, I think mostly because you were cold).  We both put up with various baby outputs, the worst of which was when you threw up in your crib or in our bed.

As you grew, Dad was "the main man" when you were colicky, teething or sick.  He would usually take first shift night while I slept, then I would take over about 2 am.  Dad also spent more days home from work with sick boys than I did.  Rob, Dad and I took turns doing your nighttime breathing treatments after you were diagnosed with asthma at 9 months old.  This also meant watching Thomas the Tank Engine episodes (video tapes... old school!) in the middle of the night - as we did during daytime treatments as well.  And when we went out, Dad typically had a baby bottle in his back pocket (this is a vivid memory for me) while carrying baby, baby paraphernalia or pushing a stroller.  Alex, you were very attached to bottle & blankie.  Rob, you were attached to your pillow and bottle & blankie.

As you remember well, most days he took you over to Grandma's in the mornings.  He would keep an eye out and read the paper, as you got breakfast, played with toys, played trains and watched TV.  I think he enjoyed these times a lot, as of course Grandma did very much.  Grandma would make your breakfast, and get McDonald's or Burger King take-outs on a regular basis.  She would drive off, often in her nightgown with a jacket or coat over it, to go through the drive-through - sometimes you joined her as you got older.  I remember she got mad when the order wasn't filled correctly and someone didn't get pancakes, cinni-mini's or whatever had been requested.

Dad loved coming to your games and activities.  He walked in the Memorial Day Parade with both of you, with little league and cub scouts.  We went on bike rides around town.  Alex, we brought you to Camp Lackawanna and Camp Cadet for overnight camps.

Dad was always happy to go on outings and vacations with all of our stuff in tow.  He could pack a car up to its gills, and have just enough room for car seats in the back (with various items piled around you).  We made trips to Webster MA, Ocean City MD and the NC Outer Banks most years, plus trips to Ottawa ON, Brunswick ME, the Smoky Mountains in TN, Disney World, St. Louis and a combination Los Angeles CA/Pahrump NV trek where our rental car broke down in Death Valley (luckily in October, when the heat was not dangerous).  I'm sure there are more places that I'm forgetting.  I remember a drive back from the Outer Banks when there was a blueberry fight in the back seat.

He also loved visiting Aunt Gloria and Uncle Melvin in Maryland.  Alex, you probably remember this the most.  He would take you on the train into Washington DC, where you went to the Smithsonian etc.  I remember simply going to the train station in Perryville to sit on the platform watching trains go by.  He also took you to a couple Inauguration Days all bundled in warm coats - where you saw parts of the ceremony from some distance away and then the parade.  Dad told me that you, Alex, were very impressed with seeing a "sniper" on the roof of one of the buildings near the parade route.  Rob, my first time doing this was with you in 2017 for the Trump inauguration (even though Bernie Sanders was your fave candidate).  It was an interesting day, I'm glad we went.

While he was able, Dad was a very involved and loving father.  Here is one of my favorite pictures, from Rob's Cookie Corner graduation in June 2008, to help us remember these good times.

And here is an earlier picture of Dad and me, from roughly ten years earlier.

22 years, 8 months

I had you for most of 22 year and 8 months, Alex.  You moved out over Labor Day Weekend, and I completely understand that you are ready.  I was just slightly older that you are when I married Dad and moved from GrandNana's house in Dallas to the back apartment on Monument Ave, Wyoming.  I was ready to be independent then, and I think you are now too.

Besides some time when you lived with Dad and we didn't see much of each other (which in fact prompted starting this blog on Nov. 11, 2011), and a year or so living mostly in Plymouth I've thought of you as generally being "mine".  To a much greater extent when you were little and of course less so as time has gone on.  I've missed you the past several weeks, though in fact you aren't far away in Exeter.  The hardest thing so far was folding your clothes for the last time as I packed things in your room.  I started getting you clothes, washing them, folding & putting them away before you were born.  But I will adjust, this is a normal part of life for both of us.  And there is always the chance that you may end up living with us again at some point.  Until you have your own kids, I doubt you will understand how much I love you - as Moms & Dads love their children from newborn days, through toddler, preschool, school & teenage years and for ever.

You seem to be settling in fine, living with Taylor on Daisy Court in Wildflower Village.  (I was very impressed that Taylor got a job almost immediately after her post-graduation, summer internship in Pittsburgh - she started work at Rutkoski Fencing in August.)  You've had a great opportunity to rent the townhouse from Taylor's Dad.  Your place is spacious and comfortable, and from the get-go you've had Taylor's cat Chloe!  Just perfect!!  And lucky for you both, it's fully furnished and set up with appliances, kitchen stuff and a gas grill which you'll learn to use soon.

Wishing you the best with this new venture, and as they now say your initial experience with "adulting".   It requires effort, balancing of various priorities, and will include some stress (cooking, cleaning, paying bills - Eek!).  And is rewarded by a nice feeling of accomplishment when you are successfully managing your own household.  Along with this comes your very own place to call home, which I hope means you rest well and relax there to re-charge when you're not occupied with schoolwork, and time at Misericordia & Gerrity's.

PS....  I started this post in October, and didn't finish it because I wanted a picture of you at home.  On Thanksgiving we stopped over and Steve did a kitchen photo shoot.  Here's a nice picture of all three of you. 

The Office

This will be a very short post - with Rob's two favorite clips from The Office. 

Rob, as a birthday bonus this year, Steve got you a novelty tshirt with Dwight Schrute's picture and the label "False" underneath it.  You've worn it a lot over the past few weeks  :-)

Uncle George

Great Uncle George

Uncle Jason and Mary Ann invited us to Salerno's in Old Forge a couple weeks ago (Mary Ann grew up in Old Forge, and I think she worked there at one time). It was great to see them and Lia, Colton and Natalee. And sadly, we found out that Uncle George recently had a heart attack. Luckily we were able to see him the following weekend in Maryland, Rob and I on Saturday then Aunt Pam and Alex on Sunday. He wasn't well but knew us and was so glad for the visitors, and had good days especially on Sunday. We were shocked when he passed a few hours later. Below is Uncle George's obituary. 
We all went to his viewing and then his funeral last week. Very sad !  We learned a lot about the challenges of inter-denominational relationships in the 1950's. We did get to catch up with extended family - Gerboc, Rogers and Warner.  And Alex, you brought Taylor to meet everyone at a local hotel following the viewing.  They liked her and she made quite an impression as a Bernie Sanders supporter!
Here are some highlights of things you may remember about Aunt Rebecca and Uncle George.                

• Front Porch: At 278 Monument Ave where they lived, there was a lovely long porch. I remember Rob pushing trucks there, as well as along the sidewalk in front of the house. You might also remember that every spring a woodpecker spent its early mornings pecking the utility pole outside their bedroom window. We could hear it clattering away over at our place (272 Monument Ave).  Uncle George had some choice words for the woodpecker.

• Toy Box: Aunt Rebecca and Uncle George had a box of toys for pre-schoolers, saved from their kids' childhood ☺ Every time we stopped over, it was a bee line for the toys.

• The Garden: The garden was near and dear to Uncle George. He and Aunt Rebecca planted lovely flowers, and most importantly tomatoes and other vegetables which Uncle George had grown from seedlings on the enclosed back porch.  He enjoyed working out there, and kept a sharp eye (and sometimes a BB gun) out for critters such as rabbits and at least at one point (Eeek!) a groundhog.

• Meow:   When he was away at Penn State, Uncle Jason brought home a fluffy grey kitten.  As happens in some cases with kitties acquired by college students, she ended up living back home.  Her name was simply Meow.  I would say she was sponsored (fed and cared for, as I remember flea bathing behind the house) by Aunt Rebecca & Uncle George.  But was actually the neighborhood's cat, as she got around to visit everyone.  She stood her ground and then some with dogs (I remember swats across the doggy noses).  Meow was also a great huntress, and brought her captured prey home regularly (such as birds, squirrels and rabbits).  In her spare time, she came calling upon indoor kitties who lived nearby.  This included climbing up the walnut tree and onto our deck, then coming to the sliding door - which drove Tiger crazy, there was much hissing and spatting.  As well as climbing up the dogwood tree to the porch next door, going over the roof to Aunt Pam's kitchen window to greet Wolfie who jumped up to the counter/sink area for a stressful visit.  Uncle George often said that he hated cats; I think was quite fond of Meow all the same.

• Christmas Eve: When you were quite young, we all went to their house after church for Christmas Eve, which included a Slovak tradition of exchanging "Merry Christmas" greetings while breaking off pieces of Oplatki wavers, then dipped in honey and eaten. You can read more about it here: Oplatki Christmas Tradition  Then there were many treats, including piggies and kielbasa, and presents to exchange. Little children made out like bandits on Christmas Eve. Once Uncle Jason gave Alex a 100-piece set of plastic army men - you were thrilled and we just hoped no adult would get one wedged into a bare foot. 

• Halloween: Aunt Rebecca and Uncle George always had a special treat bag for both of you on Halloween. In later years, Uncle George was very happy when you came. His greeting was always a loud "Hello" !  After he moved to live with David & sometimes Laura, we always sent him a Halloween card.

Uncle George also sent cards for your birthdays. (When Rob and I visited him, he commented that Laura had been helping to get the cards but he didn't always like her selections... made me smile!)  It is wonderful to have family close by, and you were blessed with having Grandma & Aunt Pam, along with Aunt Rebecca and Uncle George on our street in Wyoming.

George David Gerboc

1932 - 2019

George D. Gerboc, 87, formerly of Wyoming, died Sunday evening, Aug. 18, 2019, at Calvert Manor Healthcare Center in Rising Sun, Md., after a short stay.

George was born in the Pittston Junction on July 22, 1932, to the late George and Katarina Mackanic Gerboc. He was a graduate of the Pittston High School, Class of 1949.

After high school, he served in the U.S. Army from 1949 to 1952, during the Korean War. Upon returning home, he worked at Rex Shoe Factory, Exeter, later working several years for and retiring from Techniglas Inc, Pittston.

He was married to the late Rebecca Warner Gerboc of Wyoming, who preceded him in death on Aug. 23, 2005, after 43 years of marriage. In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by his siblings, Michael Gerboc, Mary Russick, Helen Schnitzel, Ann Rachwalski, Agnes Havrilla, John Gerboc, Elizabeth Rakowski and Joseph Gerboc.

George and Rebecca were life residents of Wyoming. In the last few years, he lived with his children, spending the majority of time in Virginia and southern Pennsylvania.

Surviving are his three children, Laura Balint and her husband, Jimmy, Avondale; David Gerboc and his wife, Tracey, Chesterfield, Va.; Jason Gerboc and his wife, Mary Ann, Lake Mary, Fla.; grandchildren, Courtney and Nicole Gerboc; Mitchell Balint; Lia, Colton and Natalee Gerboc; sisters, Juliana Kopec, Bradenton, Fla.; and Margaret Kalina, Pittston.

A blessing service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Metcalfe Shaver Kopcza Funeral Home Inc., 504 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming, with the Rev. Peter Tomczak of St. Monica's Parish, West Wyoming, officiating.

Interment will be in Wyoming Cemetery.

Friends may call 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

Published in Citizens' Voice from Aug. 20 to Aug. 21, 2019

Wyoming's Memorial Day Parade

Well guys, I started this post in late May.  That meant uploading pictures and finding the Victor video below on You Tube.  So now to finish it!

This year "we" (Alex, Taylor and I) went to the Wyoming/West Wyoming Memorial Day Parade.  Last year you, Alex, became a member of the Wyoming Cemetery Association - following a line of membership that from Grandpa Bob Carroll and later Dad Bob Carroll.  It seemed like a good idea to attend the cemetery program, which we did - and enjoyed patriotic selections by the Paci Band (in which Uncle Jason played trumpet for a time).  It's nice to participate in old-time traditions such as speeches at cemeteries to commemorate individuals and their sacrifices that have contributed to our amazing, wonderful country.  I'm so glad I went.

The ceremony follows the parade, which we also attended (at most, it lasts 30 minutes!).  I have many memories of the parade, and I'll share a few with you.  First of all, it was a significant town event NOT to be missed.  Grandpa was often in the parade - I'm sure he was the Grand Marshall at least one as well as the main speaker at the cemetery program.  Dad was often in the parade too, in my memory as a boy scout troop leader (West Wyoming troop 366), Wyoming councilman or Little League parent.  Both of you boys walked in the parade with the Little League, and Rob you probably walked in it as a cub scout.  Meanwhile, Grandma and I tried very hard to arrive in plenty of time at the designated parade-watching corner which was at 7th street across from Avenue News (now Sorrick's Jewelry).  Uncle George, Aunt Rebecca and cousins Laura, David and Jason were often there (they also walked in the parade with the WA Marching Band - I remember Laura played flute and David was a drummer).  Grandma was absolutely thrilled when grandsons came along, and we would be sure you each had sunglasses and a drink in the stroller.  She was very proud to introduce you to friends and enjoyed as you watched the military color guard, old cars, bands, scouts, teams and fire trucks.  And as pre-schoolers, ran out to get candy when it was thrown from floats, trucks, etc.

One very unique feature of this parade was Victor (whose last name I forget) who rode his old bicycle in the parade for many years.  I remember him as an older man (not entirely clean), standing on the seat of his bike with one leg out behind him.  Amazingly, I did find a video!  So below are pictures from the 2015 parade & cemetery program, along with a 1993 video of Vic.  As indicated by the name of the video, everyone yelled "Vic, Vic do a trick!"  He definitely loved to oblige.

Dual Posting: Notes for After Our Passing

What follows is a joint post by Ms. Rivers a.k.a. Chris a.k.a. Mom and Steve.  After watching numerous YouTube videos of the Long Island Medium (Theresa Caputo) and developing a slightly unhealthy fascination with her spiritual readings, Ms. Rivers wants to ensure our wishes are known about a future time after one or both of us have died.  (On a side note, Ms. Rivers believes that our souls continue to an after-life, while Steve sees no reason to believe this in the absence of any evidence or proof.*)

Ok, here we go; please note, no firm decisions have been made about our final arrangements.  Should either of us pre-decease each other and once we have both passed, we do not want anyone including our children to do the following:

• Place cremated remains in a cigar box until a decision can be reached about their permanent location, then lose the cigar box when moving.  [Steve here:  If you do this, I will haunt you, even if there isn't an afterlife.  I absolutely hate cigars!]
• Place ashes in an urn/vase and keep it on the mantel (in lieu of burial).  Or strap it into the passenger side of a vehicle to keep the driver "company" on outings.  
• Divide up ashes and place them in vessels as keepsakes for multiple family members.  In particular, do not fill up glass Christmas ornaments with ashes so that we can literally participate in each holiday season as decorations on your Christmas tree.
• Scatter ashes outdoors (especially on a windy day!) in a body of water, where it's likely they would immediately become lunch for birds, fish, and other land-dwelling things.
• Bury us in a cemetery without trees.  Or rabbits.  We want rabbits and other assorted non-human critters to frolic on top of our graves.
• Have some kind of enormous, gaudy, "I want attention" headstone.  Neither one of us like show-offs, be it in this life or the next.
• Putting anything plastic (flowers, crosses, etc.) on our graves.  We want to be buried in a cemetery, not a Dollar General.  
• Unless you plan on taking care of them, no live flowers either.  But if you do put live flowers on our grave and you were to take care of them, then I [Steve] would like Marigolds, as long as they are the multi-colored ones.  But not the really big poofy yellow or orange ones. 

Lastly, and most importantly, don't be sad when you think about us.  Life is measured in countless ways, none the least of which is in the amount of love one gives.  In our case, we've both been blessed to have found each other and to have children that will help us live on in spirit, always.

* * * * * *

(*) Slight rebuttal from Steve:  It's not that don't believe (in an afterlife), as that would be far too easy, and by and large I've never been one to do things the easy way anyhow.  Rather, it's more like "I want to believe" and "if the universe would just churn up some evidence, well, all the better".

Carroll & Warner Family Origins

Well guys, I've decided to write a bit about Dad and his family.  I realize Aunt Pam can share a lot more with you, but I'll go ahead and plug in some family information that I know....

Dad was born in 1960, when Grandma & Grandpa lived in West Wyoming on 8th Street. The house is across the street from Diamond Manufacturing, between Marianacci's Restaurant and Cookie Corner.  I think the address is 260 W. 8th Street.  It was a 2-unit home, and they originally lived upstairs as they were married about 10 years before Dad came along.  You've heard that they eloped, right?  I believe they got married in Maryland (possibly when visiting Aunt Gloria & Uncle Melvin, I think Grandpa was 19 and Grandma was 21) and didn't tell anyone for quite some time after they got back.  They had waited a long time to have kids, and I've heard had almost given up (Grandpa came very close to buying two matching sports cars before they got their good news).  Once Dad came along, I think they were living downstairs.  Grandma so wanted children and was thrilled to have Dad, then Aunt Pam about three years later.  They moved to 83 E. 7th Street in Wyoming about the time that she was born.  Here are some pics that somehow came my way:

A funny picture, am guessing Dad was 1 year old:

Dad, then Dad and Aunt Pam, July 1965:

Elementary School, possibly right after gym:

Eagle Scout badge photo, July 1997:

A special photo, Dad with Teresa Musto (Smith), Aunt Pam's friend - possibly Dad's Senior Prom:

Dad's High School Senior Picture:

When I first knew Dad, the West Wyoming house was a rental property.  Dad was pretty much in charge of renovations and repairs between tenants, and I got my first experience with interior house painting over there.  That house had aluminum siding, so there was limited external painting.  However, the Wyoming house had clapboard siding and Dad was also in charge of scraping & painting the outside of that house every few years....  which is really quite large, and it was a LOT of work (and easily took an entire spring/summer season working on weekends).   Dad stayed pretty busy between the apartments and outdoor work at the Wyoming house, including gardening and landscaping.

Going back to family stuff, here are some basics on the Carroll & Warner families.

• Dad is Robert Rexford Carroll, Aunt Pam is Pamela Ruth Carroll.  
• Grandpa is Robert Davis Carroll and Grandma is Gladys Mae (May?) Warner
• Grandpa was the youngest of 3 children born to Daniel and Vera Carroll.  He grew up on 5th Street in Wyoming.  He had two older sisters, Aunt Nancy who lived in town and Aunt Shirley who lived in New York City.  It was a great event when Aunt Shirley visited - you should ask Aunt Pam about this.  
• Grandma was the fourth of 5 children born to Donald and Ada Warner, living on Breese Street in Wyoming.  Her siblings in order were Uncle Don (who lived in Moosic/Duryea to the ripe old age of 100, and just passed last year) who was married to Aunt Betty (who we saw this weekend); Uncle Morris who was married to Aunt Marion (they lived in Syracuse, NY, and I'm sure you remember visiting Aunt Marion before heading over to the NY State Fair); Aunt Gloria who was married to Uncle Melvin (who lived in Perryville, MD and I know you remember visiting for day trips into Washington DC with Dad as well as summer vacation / Rogers family reunion time in Ocean City, MD); and Aunt Rebecca who was married to Uncle George (who of course lived practically next door to Grandma; we hope to visit Uncle George in the Richmond area this summer).
• Next generation of Warners, most of whom we have stayed connected with:  Donny Warner, son of U Don and U Betty; Ellen Warner and George Warner, children of U Morris and A Marion; Susan Mintle, Melvin (Brud) Rogers, Jimmy Rogers, Becky Preston and George Rogers, children of A Gloria and U Melvin; Laura Balint, David Gerboc and Jason Gerboc, children of U George and A Rebecca.  (Did you notice that George and Rebecca are popular names?)

From what I can tell, Dad had a happy childhood and kept pretty busy with things like boy scouts - he was an Eagle Scout and advanced to Order of the Arrow (quite an accomplishment!).  He enjoyed the swimming pool at home, outdoor time with friends including wandering on the river flats, paper routes (which continued into his 20's on Sunday mornings), reading volumes of the family encyclopedia and helped out a lot at home.  Grandpa worked as a reporter and news anchor at WNEP and was also in the Army National Guard 109th Field Artillery (which he commanded!), and was away regularly.  Grandma worked for AT&T before the kids came along, then at Pomeroy's which later became BonTon once Aunt Pam started high school.  

Of course, Dad graduated from Wyoming Area.  Rob, we were able to borrow and look through WA's 1978 Yearbook which was fun!  He went on to King's College; I met him while he was working at Camp Lackawanna (in Vosburg, past Tunkhannock) over the summers.  My first memories of visiting in Wyoming are of Grandma's Sunday dinners, Grandpa's somewhat intimidating presence, the large garden and laundry hanging to dry on the outdoor "umbrella-style" clothesline.  Sometimes it's the simple things that get your attention....   And life was simpler then, before cell phones, the internet and before we realized global warming was a real thing!  One of my fondest memories of early years with Dad was canoeing on the Susquehanna (during and after Camp years).  I know you both like kayaking and hope you will also have pleasant memories of paddling on lakes, rivers, etc.  Hopefully you and your paddling partners get along much better than these critters appear to :-)