Memorial Day World War 2 Memories - Part 2

My father, Joseph Robert Wright's best friend was George Neal Schmidt, known by everyone as Neal. He was my Godfather and he, too served in the US Navy in World War 2. He was a quiet man, dignified and calm. He was the most patient and peaceful man I ever knew aside from Grndpop Lyons. Many a Saturday afternoon my Godfather Neal Schmidt and I sat in the tv room of my family's house on Roland Avenue in Maple Shade, NJ, and watched the old black and white movies together, quietly and peacefully. When I was in my teens from the late l950's to the 1960's,He stayed with us for weekends for many years when we first moved to Maple Shade, but then my mother, for her own reasons decided she didn't want a permanent weekend house guest and she had my father disinvite him It broke my heart and it broke Neal's heart.

Uncle Neal was already broken hearted because his beloved fiance' had been killed in a catastrophic auto accident one week before their wedding. Neal never recovered and remained a sad bachelor for the rest of his life. He went to live with relatives of his deceased fiance' where he stayed until he died at St. Mary's Convalescent home.

Awhile before Neal died, my father had asked me and my sister Sue to find out where Neal was and visit him, which we did. He was so old and frail. He recognized me, however. We went to his Catholic funeral as well. One of the relatives gave me some of his paper memorabilia which I put into an album. He had a lot of funny WW 2 postcards and postcards of battleships and countries where he had been stationed.

I have one toy, a doll, left from my early childhood which makes her about 75 years old - she is a Betsy Walker from the Effanbee toy company. She was given to me by Uncle Neal Every Christmas he gave me a beautiful doll in a carrying case.

I wish I had kept up a closer relationship with him over the years. We young get so caught up in our own busy and dramatic lives it is hard to make those spider web lines back to the old even when we love them. I tried my best with my grandmothers, but I lost Uncle Neal.

I loved him and I hope wherever he is, he feels that love and knows that i remembered him on Memorial Day 2026.

Remembering and honoring the dead seems to be one of the better, kinder rituals that we human beings have carried in our long human history.

Since I believe in the Universal Consciousness, it may actually have some positive function, this act of love and remembrance.

Happy Trails!

wrightj45@yahoo.com