My maternal grandmother Luella “Esther” and great-Uncle Roland “Homer” Husted. It was common in that family for people to go by their middle names rather than their given names. Roland “Homer” died in 1937 at the age of 24 (more details to follow).

My grandmother continued to have dreams about him for the remainder of her days, they were very close (she died in my family’s home near Flint, MI in 1989). She literally dropped dead in my family home when I was 17 – and she was 74. My other grandmother died just two months later, and since both of my grandfathers had died previously, that meant that I had no grandparents when I was still in high school. Later, I would become adopted by my husband’s grandma, but that is another story!

Family stories would tell me that my grandma’s older brother Homer was a spelling bee winner when he was in school, with him winning a world atlas with his name inscribed inside (my mom has it). Some decades later I would also win a school spelling bee! But instead of a world atlas, I won a gift certificate to Tape World. Looking back, I think I would rather have the atlas than a cassette copy of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.” I love maps, especially outdated maps!

I ordered a copy of Homer’s death certificate in the mid 2000s as a means of finding some closure for my dead grandma who dored him – and as a means of getting some answers. Now that I’ve scanned it in and the Internet helps fill in more blanks, I know a bit more. Firstly, he had been in California for about six years and was serving at the March Field Air Force Reserves base in Anaheim as a private. He died at the age of 24 after being struck down by a car while riding his bike (that was the family story I’d heard growing up). So tragic…As far as I know, they never found out who did this. Struck down and bam, gone…

Below is the only other photo I have of Homer, unknown date/location.

Lastly, Homer’s death certificate (below):

May he rest in peace (the Internet says he is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Grand Blanc, MI). I wish I could have met him! 🥺