Charles Young

Posted on: Feb 25, 2024 at 11:57 AM

Happy Birthday. It was good seeing you at the Price library event.

Happy Birthday! It was good seeing you.

Happy Birthday - I hope you are feeling well. It was good seeing you.

Happy birthday Bob! It was good to see you at the
Reunion.

Posted on: Aug 13, 2023 at 9:23 PM

Happy birthday Lee. It was good to see you at the reunion, and that you're still alive. I have a dog for you if you are lonely. Call me if you are in Jacsonville and maybe we can do lunch together.

Ira died on February 1, 1971.  He is buried in the Jacksonville Arlington Cemetery, next to his mother.

Happy Birthday Carole! Perhaps we will meet up one day?

Posted on: Aug 17, 2022 at 2:38 PM

It was a blazing hot June day when the Genealogy Society was cleaning headstones in the old Riverside Memorial Cemetery off Normandy Boulevard in Jacksonville, Florida. I was working my way past the old Fleet family plots, the Ginsburgs, and finally, the Hechts. We were straightening the tombstones, scouring off the moss and mold, and resetting some bases to the monuments where possible.

My friend Gretchen asked me to bring the water hose over to some newly laid turf which was turning brown in the sun. It was Janice Tobias, lying next to her parents, William and Bertha. She was at peace at last from her terrible pain.

When we were at Landon, we used to go through the drive-in at Jan’s Liquors on Philips Highway. Bill obviously named his liquor stores after his children, Jeri’s in San Marco and Jan’s across from the old Gordon Thompson Chevrolet dealership.

“Whaddaya think?” Gretchen asked. Not more than fifty feet away lay Billie Silverman. “I think she’s in good company,” I said. “I remember they used to sit near each other.” Jan had a beautiful smile, and Billy was Billy.

Thank you, God. I know they won’t be lonely. She can grin, and they can dance.

Oh, and as I was leaving the cemetery, I noticed that Lacy and Ronnie Van Zant of the Leonard Skinner Band were lying upfront. This must be a sign that Jan and Billy will have music for eternity.

Happy birthday. Thank you for generously funding the art in San Marco. Also, thank you for the ride home from Landon in your Cadillac when it was raining.

See the 6th grade photograph under my Profile - Billy is in the front of the room on the right hand side of the teacher.

March 31, 2019

I was out walking around at the Cemetery today.

Riverside Memorial is off of Normandy Boulevard and I-295.  It is an hour away from my home even when using the expressway.  Nowhere near Mandarin.

I was checking out the family plot in the old Jewish Section which has grave stones dating back to 1880.  It is filled with former progressives, socialists, Bolsheviks, communists, atheists, veterans, never marrieds, and people generally not associated with a particular synagogue or house of worship.

When my son married and moved away, my wife and I decided to buy two spaces in the family plot where my mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, aunts and uncles are buried all together.  My grandfather was first to go.  He left Poland before World War II to avoid being conscripted into the Army.

Here he is now sleeping with his fraternal brothers from the Workmen’s Circle.

The family grave stones are lined standing straight and tall.

I noticed new turf had been laid not more than fifteen feet from where my plot will be.

It was Billy Silverman.

All by himself.

Perhaps there are some of his family members who will be joining him in the future.  I hope so.

My wife is there now.  Nearby and close.

Billy came to her for adoption advice.  He wanted to adopt a child from Guatemala.  She knew how to do it before it was legal.  She would oversee the home study process. 

Billy became a wonderful father and grandfather.

I bet he found her a ruffled dress and they are dancing the full length of heaven.  The dance lessons are going to take me a little longer.