A somber tribute

This past week I lost 2 very special relatives, my Tante Renate and my Onkel Egbert, both of whom were my moms siblings.

Renate was my mom's only sister and a favorite aunt of mine. When I was young we used to go skiing with Renate and her husband Gunther every winter, and we always had such a good time. Renate loved spending time at her "Camping Place", an RV on a small stream a couple of hours from her home in Koln. Renate was always an active and happy person, and loved to entertain.

My Onkel Egbert was known for writing specialty poems for every family gathering and special occasion. He was always funny and quick with a joke. Egbert was also a championship chess player and could play a game of chess "blind" - meaning without ever looking at a chessboard. You just told him which piece moved from one coordinate to another and he could keep the whole game straight in his head and beat you in no time at all. He had turned 95 in March and was my mom's older brother.

What a tough week for the Perk family and for my mom and her brother Georg, who are now the only 2 remaining of the 6 Perk siblings. My condolences to all. 💔