Happy Birthday Oncle Boob!

JT Twissel

My Uncle Bob was born on April Fools Day 1936 and died last March. I was not invited to the celebration of his life for a couple of reasons: 1.) His wife is an ultra Maga in a deep red part of Florida and 2.) She didn’t appreciate my depiction of her third husband in Happy Hour and Other Sorrows. Honestly I don’t think she read beyond the first few chapters otherwise she would have seen that the main character is an ungrateful dimwit who comes to appreciate her unconventional uncle, warts and all.

Uncle Bob and his sister-in-law, my crazy Auntie Dottie – I’m sure they’re having many chuckles up there in Heaven at Gram’s expense!

I did hear from one of my cousins that many, many people showed up to share their love for our uncle. That didn’t surprise me in the least. He was a people person, always willing to dive into any crowd of strangers . . . if there was singing and dancing, drinking and the telling of raunchy jokes. Laughing, always laughing. He was also very beloved in the tiny German village where he lived for about three years while working for the US Army.

Uncle Bob with his buddy Bruce at an Oktober Fest beer sloshing event.

When other Americans were transferred stateside, he collected their unused ration cards and bought items at the US Commissary which he knew were beyond the reach of his German neighbors. The year I was there, Rocky Road Ice Cream, Marboro cigarettes and Folgers coffee in the tin can were all the rage! But, anything American would do, even the dreaded peanut butter that Uncle Bob put on EVERYTHING! And I do mean everything. French fries, scrambled eggs, meatloaf . . .

Considered the best brand by UB

I was amazed that somehow he managed to satisfy all the villagers on that first day of Fest Season when he traditionally handed out those rare, exotic treats from America. Each happy recipient slapped him on the back and said in a booming voice as they walked out the kitchen door:

“Danke Oncle Boob!”

I can still remember the look on his face that day when he turned to me and said. “I suppose I have you to thank for this! Oncle Boob – sheesh, neicey – what have you done to me?” (He could be a little overly dramatic.)

I guess the name stuck long after I’d gone because he never forgave me.

22 thoughts on “Happy Birthday Oncle Boob!”

  1. What a delightful look at your Uncle Boob! He sounds like quite a personality and character–with a good heart and sense of humor. Was he MAGA too? I hope not.

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  2. P.S. Jif was the only kind of peanut butter we had in our house growing up. My late husband preferred Adams and I use Teddie’s Extra Crunchy, mostly because it has no added sugar.

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    1. He had a messy life and made a lot of mistakes along the way but having grown up in a poor town filled with emigrants (my great grandparents were off the boat Swedes with little education) he had a lot of empathy for the villagers – Germany was just recovering from a devastating war. Most Americans have no idea what war does to regular people.

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    1. Well – he certainly opened my eyes to the world beyond the good ole USA. I think the best thing to say is that, unlike many Americans stationed aboard, he immersed himself in the culture (not always gracefully) and people around him.

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    1. Anti-hero would be more like it. If you ever want to read more, I’ll be more than happy to send you a copy. Or maybe I’ll make the damned thing free on Amazon.

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      1. I am sure I have read about this uncle, that you stayed with in Germany…if I am write …I really enjoyed reading about him 💜💜💜

  6. I enjoyed reading this, though my favorite peanut butter is Skippy. MAGA… believe it or not, I have family who are MAGA too. Puerto Rican MAGA—now that’s something out of this world.

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    1. My uncle and his wife lived on a government pension with medical insurance, etc for over thirty years so when his wife would rail on about the government I had to keep my mouth shut – it was so hypocritical but she was a stereotypical Texan woman – big and brassy and opinionated! I think he was afraid of her – in fact, I know he was!

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      1. Yeah, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. We can have differences of opinion about how leaders in the government are doing their jobs, but the system itself is a decent one. It’s the politicians and other leaders who are damaging it. The MAGA movement is not helping the case.

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