Tuesday, August 8, 2017
My beloved Uncle Dima was born in Ukraine and not "the Ukraine", for "the Ukraine" implies that Ukraine is some arcane region and not an actual country, of which it is its own actual country. Additionally, my Uncle Dima was born in the village of Osa, Ukraine, located within Volynska Oblast or "state", in Western Ukraine. The deceased Paul and Anna Luksza of Lorain were his parents. The sister of whom survives my Uncle Dima is actually named Miroslava and not "Mary"; My mother has been Miroslava her entire life and never did she ever declare that her alternate name is, or should ever be, Mary. My Uncle Dima completed U.S. Army Basic Training in Fort Gordon, Georgia in 1956, and was stationed overseas in Western Germany in a small town near the French border. My Uncle Dima later graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Political Science from Ohio State University, followed by an academically-distinguished Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Capital University My Uncle Dima was also a bit of a car novice during his high school years in Lorain, as he had some experience with performing valve jobs on flat-head Ford V-8 engines at a local machine shop. He also had a diversified taste in automobiles throughout the years, with assuming a well-cultured ownership of various Fords, Buicks, and in later years, Toyota products. The cars of his ownership that resonate most in my mechanized memory are that of the black sleek and shiny 1978 Ford LTD sedan (last year of the pre-downsized bodystyle) with lush grey velour pillow-type interior and full silver vinyl top, of which he purchased brand-new, and his brief indoctrination into utilitarian truck culture, when he briefly owned a 1976 Ford F-150 regular cab long-bed pick-up truck. My Uncle Dima's overall demeanor was direct and unadulterated, with little tolerance for any hog-wash or canards. He was also overwhelmingly equitable with a warm genuineness to him that was never compromised under any circumstance. He will be greatly and sorely missed. May you rest in eternal peace and emancipation from your suffering, Uncle Dima.
