Hoover Family History from my perspective

As I was sitting at my great-great uncle Mikes memorial service not understanding much about what the priest was saying. I realized that my family was unique in so many ways. Yes, I do know some of you are related to people like Rosa Parks or Abe Lincoln to name a few. But sometimes, if you look a tri-fold board with a bunch of pictures of your own family that were taped on, you see something different than when you looked the first time.  When my mom and my cousin Alice talked about my wonderful uncle Mike, and how hard he worked to pull together pieces of family history, one by one, long before the internet, I thought-- wow, this man, a man who fought for our country along side four out of nine of his brothers during World War II did all this for my grandma, for my mom, for me and for generations to come. His duties to our country saved the life of thousands. The stories of his faithful time as the captain of the plane "The Lemon" on D-DAY brought tears to my eyes. The stories my mother had told me, my grandpas photo albums, the long lectures from my dad and the smiles from my grandma whenever his name was brought up. Uncle Mike was an outstanding man, a man whose passion brought knowledge to our family. About our past. About our present and possibly our future. Uncle Mike is a hero. If you met him, you would adore him. This man played a role in my life as a history buff. He boosted my enthusiasm. Encouraged me to learn more. Taught me. He was a noble man the day he was born. That nobilty lasted throughout an amazing lifetime. And Uncle Mike, through thick and thin, knew what was best for the Hoover family.