A Very Generous Cousin!

This is Don, my cousin -- to be exact, my first cousin once removed. He is celebrating his birthday on December 4. In this photo he is with his mother, Brendice, who is my Grandma Beulah Gerner Doyle's sister. This photo was taken on October 9, 1995, the day Aunt Brendice celebrated her 100th birthday.

Don is generous beyond measure. When I started digging for my Gerner family, I found Don's nephew, Rick, who gave me Don's address. When I wrote to him to ask about his mom and her family, he spent time making notes about names, dates, and locations, and then wrote brief memories of his Gramma Elvira Bartley Gerner and all of his mom's brothers and sisters and some of their families. I love learning a little about my relatives - what they did, how and where they lived, so it was wonderful to have that information. But beyond that, he sent photos -- old photos! -- and told me I could call them mine! Those are photos I cherish because they allow me to put faces to names.

I wish you a very happy, happy birthday, Don! You're a treasure! Thank you for the photos and all the help you've given me.