Somehow, even amidst a year that had quickly become abnormal, lonely, and darker, and despite the fact that we were sleeping in a camper on the edge of Papa’s Mukwonago driveway, the Easter Bunny still arrived. Thank goodness!! I think we all needed some bubbles and sidewalk chalk in our lives right at that moment.

Coloring Easter eggs with my aunties brightened the mood as well! But to top it all off, I decided to lose a tooth to also test the Tooth Fairy’s locating skills. Because it probably wouldn’t hurt to discover a nice monetary tip next to my Easter basket, am I right? Who says money can’t buy happiness?

In the aftermath of losing Papa, I had to take on new responsibilities, like…

1. Loving on Papa’s pups and teaching Genesee how to cultivate her inner fur momma

2. Getting my (golf cart) driver’s license so I can help make trips to the dumpster

3) Learning how to research real estate on Zillow (thanks, Aunt Nay Nay!)

4) Getting cars ready to sell by being a cute photo bomber in the advertising fliers (Mustang for sale; Little dude not included)

5) And, of course, watching for signs of visits from Papa and Nana Florence, like when these two geese visited Papa’s front yard!

Missing Papa is a big job, but I think he’d be proud of my work ethic.

Getting schooled at home is quite different than what we’re used to, but we’re doing the best we can with the preparation we have had…. which is nothing.

Nothing prepared us to get tossed into a virtual world of learning, with parents teaching a curriculum they don’t know, during the hours they do not have since they also need to continue working full-time.

But somewhere in between Phy Ed class on the lawn, mom’s back-to-back meetings, virtual scavenger hunts over Google Meets, unclear science lessons, and keeping Genesee alive, I overhead mom say that home schooling during a pandemic was quite the “ship show.” I don’t know what boats have to do with any of this, but I’m excited to find out!

Gene David Florence | December 15, 1945 — March 21, 2020

Gene David Florence (Pee-Wee/Armpit) was born to eternal life and reunited with his long lost 1969 Shelby GT 500 KR and his beloved wife, Margarita Navidad Florence. He made it home, but late for supper, on Saturday, March 21, 2020, after a sudden diagnosis of terminal cancer at the age of 74.

Gene was lovingly survived by his daughters Helen Renee (Jonathan) Fuller, Chelsee Rebecca (Ernest Graham) Florence and Amanda Regina (Joel) Goodenough, and his dear brother Norman (Gerry) Florence. He was the adored Papa of Brooklyn, Jaeger and Genesee, and the great-grandfather of Isalina. Gene will be greatly missed by his faithful furry companions Sugar, Bella and Lulu. This ripple of grief will also be felt across countless cherished friends and relatives.

He will reconnect in the afterlife with his parents, Raymond and Helen Florence; his sister Patricia Florence; and his brothers Raymond (Marjorie) Florence Jr., Wendell Florence, LeRoy (Virginia Phillips) Mitchell and Richard “Dickey” Mitchell.

Gene’s many impressive lifetime achievements were a result of his unprecedented work ethic. He was a dedicated family man, a tireless provider, an always-helpful companion and a talented mechanic. There was nothing Gene couldn’t fix with a rubber band, bungee cord or zip tie. He was a man of great character who was unapologetically honest and didn’t take people’s sh*t unless they paid him to (through his successful septic pumping business).

The world was not ready for the force of Gene Florence, but he remained resilient beyond measure and paved a better future for all. A Marine of multiple wars, Gene served this country in Vietnam, fought for the right to marry interracially, picketed for Union rights alongside Teamster brothers, stood up to Mukwonago’s racial discrimination, and fearlessly faced his final battle against cancer.

A celebration of Gene’s life will take place at Waukesha’s Church and Chapel Funeral Home on a summer or fall date yet to be determined. Until then, you can find Gene in the aroma of Papa Murphy’s pizza, hear him in the lyrics of Gregory Abbott’s “Shake You Down,” or look for him in the clouds above any used car lot.

Church and Chapel Funeral Home is serving the family. Online obituary, condolences, and future memorial service information can be found at www.churchandchapel.com.

With essentially no food or water intake for weeks, Papa stopped talking in his final days on earth. But somehow, he mustered up the energy to have one last phone conversation with Genesee and I before he left.

And then he was gone.

On March 21st at 9:45 p.m., Papa passed away peacefully, surrounded by the love of my mom and my aunts. They held his hand and sang his favorite song as he went to start his spirit journey.

We are heartbroken, but grateful that he didn’t suffer for long. This whole situation happened very quickly, in fact. …Imagine being “well” enough to drive yourself 40 minutes to the emergency room in a stick-shift vehicle, spend 2 weeks in the hospital before learning a devastating diagnosis, returning home on hospice, and then only surviving 2 additional weeks. That’s what we watched happen to our Papa over the last month.

Sometimes life isn’t fair. Sometimes life is too short. Sometimes love is painful.

But as they say, “grief is the last act of love we have to give to those we love. Where there is deep grief, there was great love.”

And so, for now, we grieve….

With spring officially beginning, I pause to reflect on my winter…

As Edith Sitwell says, “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand, and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”

So long, winter.

When you’re independent and decide to secretly paint your toenails by yourself, but you “accidentally” miss and paint your face and bed instead.

#ThatsMySister
#NotAMurderScene
#2YearOldShenanigans
#JustAnotherDayInTheLifeofGenesee

On March 6, 2020, Papa was released from the hospital and sent home on hospice. This wasn’t the homecoming we had been hoping for. But once there, his furry female roommates showered him with kisses and we ordered him one of his favorite meals: Culver’s batter-fried fish dinner!

Papa made it home just in time because the world started to drastically change in the days that followed. A COVID-19 pandemic has caused hospitals to minimize or ban all visitors, stores and restaurants have begun shutting down, and even my school closed its doors.

Communities have been encouraged to engage in virtual learning and remote work, social/physical distance, wear masks, and quarantine if experiencing symptoms to flatten the curve of the coronavirus spread. Some people say it feels like the world is ending. And even though Papa’s diagnosis made it seem like our world was sort of ending before the pandemic struck, mom says it’s also important to find other perspective, like this one:

“When you go out and see the empty streets, the empty stadiums, the empty train platforms, don’t say to yourself, ‘It looks like the end of the world.’ What you’re seeing is love in action. What you’re seeing, in that negative space, is how much we do care for each other, for our grandparents, for the immune-compromised brothers and sisters, for people we will never meet. People will lose jobs over this. Some will lose their businesses. And some will lose their lives. All the more reason to take a moment, when you’re out on your walk, or on your way to the store, or just watching the news, to look into the emptiness and marvel at all that love. Let it fill and sustain you. It isn’t the end of the world. It is the most remarkable act of global solidarity we may ever witness.” – Author unknown

So, as we move through the tragedy of Papa’s failing health during a global pandemic, instead of only grieving the loss of what was, we also let ourselves feel what is indeed remarkable: love and solidarity.

2020 was off to a good start until we hit day 50; On Wednesday, February 19th, everything changed when mom had a feeling in the pit of her stomach after a phone conversation with Papa. He wasn’t well. So mom abruptly left work and drove across the state to find Papa in the Intensive Care Unit at the Milwaukee VA Hospital.

We were supposed to attend the Greater Milwaukee International Car & Truck Show that weekend with my car-loving Papa, but instead, Dad brought us kiddos to the hospital, too, hoping we might be medicine for Papa’s soul.

And while we did manage to bring a smile to Papa’s face, particularly when we took him for a spin in his new set of wheels, we were no cure for the diagnosis that Papa was suddenly facing: Cancer.

I don’t know much about that little word, but in the moment, it felt bigger than I could handle, especially as I studied my mom’s saddened face. And even though we were soon joined by loving family and close friends, I understood that this was not a happy reunion.

It was hard to see Papa like that, but it was even harder to leave him and return to school. Since my heart knew these moments were precious, I sobbed uncontrollably once he was out of my sight.

I left my heart in Jamaica… it’s likely sitting somewhere beside my $25 swim goggles that I lost there. Genesee fell in love with the beautiful island country too, after she got over her initial disappointment about the absence of Cheetos and ramen noodles on all of the menus.

It definitely helped that my parents expertly planned our trip so that we missed the earthquake and tsunami upon arrival in Jamaica and returned home just hours before the winter storm dumped 9 inches of snow across the roadways. Plus, the resort was only at 40% occupancy so we practically had the place to ourselves while watching the Super Bowl and celebrating Bob Marley’s birthday.

But, we also loved visiting the Moon Palace Jamaica Grande resort because it was different from our typical trips to the Moon Palace in Cancun. This resort was smaller and more intimate, which allowed us to make new friends, like Lyla and Conner from Toronto, and David and Marie from Minneapolis! Jamaica also provided lots of new opportunities like snorkeling in the ocean, kayaking with Dad, encountering dolphins, watching cruise ships dock every morning, consuming the best jerk chicken ever, and getting our first manicures and pedicures! It should also be noted that the bacon seems crispier in Jamaica, the brownies are more delicious, and Genesee’s hair bends into perfect little curls in that warm, humid air and liquid sunshine.

In Jamaica, I learned new words and phrases, like “Yah mon,” “Wah gwan,” “Respect,” “No problem,” and “One Love.” However, even with this expanded vocabulary, there just aren’t any words that can accurately capture the stuff that Jamaican memories are made of so I’ll let our photos tell the rest of the story:

Leaving Melrose

All packed up

Rainbow burger sliders at the Sugar Factory

Yum, yum, yum!

Now that’s a milkshake!

Grandpa, you need to step up your game.

All the candy!

Build a Bear at Mall of America

Me and mom on the plane

G and Dad on the plane, 3 rows behind us.

Our bus ride from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios

Genesee taking it all in

Our home away from home!

Super Bowl Sunday!

On the big screen.

I’m cheering for the winning team!

Touring the resort and sporting my team.

VIP seat sections for us!

Tranquil

Pool time!

The Momo experience where you don’t want to go go.

Beach Party for Bob Marley’s birthday.

Family photo

Hanging out with David and Marie (friends we met on the plane)

The fire blower

Ouch

The balancing act

Me… about to win the dance contest

Evening entertainment

Standing ovation from Dad

Not the best place to color

Silly face

Model pose

The soft smile

On the catamaran

G trying to get off the catamaran

G was sad that she couldn’t go snorkeling

G turned happy once Mom pulled out the starburst candy.

G unhappy once said starburst candy was all gone.

Sophie teaching Genesee the “peace” sign

Ready to get my snorkel on

Here, fishy fishy.

Hey mom!

Skills. Can you eat an apple with no hands?

G is excited about her manicure

“Purple nails, please.” – G

“Oh, you don’t want me to splash my feet in this pool?” – G

Mom’s turn to get pretty nails.

I’m checking things out to make sure it doesn’t hurt.

My turn to get fancy.

Jamaican colors, please! Gotta represent.

“I’ll have one of each.”

Cruise ship watching

One of the pretty angles

Seashells for my classmates

Kayaking with Dad!

Lyla and Eric joined us!

This is so fun!

Heading back to shore

Exploring the beach

Yes, I got in trouble for going head first. No, I wasn’t sorry I did it.

G wanted to go down the slide.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Even mom got in on the fun.

Only once though.

Dad is a waterslide pro. Look at that form.

G loved this game.

More.

More.

Higher.

Now it’s my turn to fly!

Like Batman.

G loved her sand bucket.

And the other kid’s bucket too.

Me and momma

G napping.

Cheese.

Cheese again.

Cheese one more time.

“CHEESE!!!” – G

Don’t worry. That shark is just me in my shark swimsuit.

A fruity tooty drink.

On our deck, watching the ships come in

Michael Jackson show!

The Wired Lounge

Photo shoot before our evening meal

Who is that handsome fella, you ask? It’s me!

Siblings

Time to swim with the dolphins!

G was really excited until she wasn’t.

Me, giving G a pep talk

I’m ready!

It’s a family affair

My first kiss!

Ring toss. Nailed it.

Our beach villa

Miss Curly Q

G in the pool

G and Dad relaxing at the beach

Coconut drink

The Sun Deck

Kevin from Heaven playing along with G’s diaper game

Nutella snack. Whatever keeps her happy.

Blue Hawaiian

G collecting more sand toys that aren’t ours

Mom on her floaty

Push-ups in the morning

When my legs get tired

When G gets tired

Ice cream cart

Me and Lyla

Genesee and Connor

Dinner with our Toronto friends

Racing at the Playroom

Mega Connect Four

Brrr

Saying goodbye to Lyla

…and Connor

Little miss sunshine

The night scene

Jerk chicken and corn on the cob

Dirty feet (from our dance-a-thon)

Watching the nightly show

Building sand castles

Our own, private beach

Buttery!

Ice cream bowl #7

Breakfast at Pier 8

Delish!

The wedding gazebo

View from our room

Playroom shenanigans

Pooped

Family photo

G loved the outdoor showers

Diving with Lyla

Holding hands

Throwing rocks

G learning how to drive

Silly G

Nap time

Our last breakfast

G showing off her flexibility

We like long walks on the beach

Vroom, vroom!

Help! I’m stranded on an island!

Snorkeling with Dad

The underwater

Cheesin’ with mom

Refreshing salad

Lobster dinner

Hot tubbin at night

Some of the local artists

Leaving our mark in the sand

Jaeger was here

February 2020