Appreciations on Joe’s 50th Birthday

As a way to commemorate this milestone birthday of 50 years my love, I asked your family and a few of your close friends to write messages of appreciation for you.  They wrote some pretty great, thoughtful messages which are included here:

From your nephew Miles Gastil:

Happy Birthday Uncle Joe!

I hope you have an amazing birthday. You deserve it! I am so happy you now have a family to call your own. I know you will be as good as a father as you are an uncle. You have been a wonderful influence in my life and I look forward to becoming closer with your growing immediate family. You’re an amazing artist who constantly inspires me to draw. I look at your sketches and paintings and see them as a goal for me to someday achieve that kind of beauty in my drawings. I also enjoy playing chess with you and look forward to more games, and helping you teaching your kid how to play someday. Happy Birthday Uncle Joe.

Love you guys! Miles

From your nephew Garrett Gastil:

Happy 50th Birthday Uncle Joe!

You have always been one of the most fun people to be around. When I was a kid, I remember that I would always be excited to see you because you would pick me up and throw me around your body.

Garrett Gastil’s Reflection on a Grandmother

Garrett with my mom and my sister and brother's families. Mom is in the middle. Garrett is holding his cousin Daniel. From left to right, front row: Paige, Marge, Liz holding Lauren. Back Row: Tom, Garrett holding Daniel, Miles, Matt.

Here’s the piece that my nephew Garrett Gastil delivered beautifully at the memorial service for my mother last Sunday. Garrett also played piano for the prelude at the start of the service. Miles Gastil, his brother, opened the service with Hymne de L’Ascension by Erik Videaux, which Garrett followed with Trois Noturnes, Opus 9 #1 by Chopin.

Here’s Garrett’s remembrance of Margaret Linton:

Ever since I was very young, I remember being excited for Friday nights because that meant that we would be going to grandma’s house for the evening. Grandma made the greatest meals, or she would take us to Rutabagorz where we were known as the family that always asked for extra bread. Grandma’s also meant lots of coffee heath bar ice cream or as many dove bars as we wanted. Grandma always had things to say. She would tell us stories of her childhood, or about something cute we did as babies, or something crazy my mom and uncles did as kids.

We loved Grandma’s house because we loved grandma, and she loved us unconditionally. Grandma was always warm and welcoming. Every time Paige, Miles and I ran through her front door, her face would light up. Grandma had a very strong sense of family. She was very open with her affection for all of us. I remember she gave me two cards at my eighth grade graduation because “one wasn’t enough!” She then burst into tears as she said, “I just love you so much and I’m so proud of you.”