Email from Mike's Niece -- Part 1

I just received a very long and lovely email from a niece of Mike's that I am going to post in its entirety. Because of the limitations of my Mini-iPad, I will have to post in two or more segments.

Hi Judy-

I am Ron Stern's daughter in Santa Barbara, CA. My cousin Gerald sent me the link to your blog about Uncle Mike. (He has insisted for years that I call him simply "Mike" or "Cousin Mike", but I can't seem to shake the name I have called him since early childhood.)

Mike's brother Ernest used to spend most Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with us, since we are not far from where Ernest lived in Los Angeles.  Mike made many visits to our home in those days too.  I remember him as being quite the comedian!   He once had my mom, grandmother, and me in stitches, doing funny voices while wearing a range of different hats.

The only time I ever saw that Uncle Mike's brother Ernest had a funny side, was when the two of them did a spontaneous comedy routine for our family as we gathered in the living room of our home on Christmas Eve.

I loved the books he would send me for my birthday, all written by Alaskan authors, and read them over and over. I have at least one of them in my home for my daughters to read when they are old enough.  The others may be at my dad's house about 1/2 a mile away from me.

When my first child was born, Uncle Mike sent me a beautiful quilt that he said he bought at a church bazaar in Juneau.  My kids squabble over who gets to use it as a lap quilt on chilly mornings in their dad's truck on the way to school.