Terry Garfield
Bobby was my first cousin. He was a fixture in my life. One of my earliest clear memories is visiting him at home in Stafford when he returned injured from Vietnam. I remember going into the family room to see him, and he had his crutches beside him. I knew he was injured but was really too young to understand the cause. What I do remember in that visit is his smile, a smile that always said take each day as it comes and be at peace with it. At every family gathering or happenstance meeting on the street or in a store, he had that warm, slightly shy, and sometimes sly smile. It was always reassuring. I never knew Bobby to say a bad word about anyone. Oh, he would clear his throat sometimes, but I don't remember him uttering anything negative. When he had recovered from his injuries, he would sometimes come to our house in the morning and have breakfast and conversation with Mom (Lillian Howdershelt). I would sometimes miss the bus (intentionally??) and he would drive me to school. I always felt like a princess, and he was my Prince Charming. Bobby loved his family and that love continues to shine. "He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again."