638 Knollwood Road.



In 1981 I saw this house for the first time. It took 14 long hours to get there from Michigan back then with the 55MPH national speed limit and a bit longer route as well. At the end of those 14 hours I was nervous to arrive with my future wife Brenda, and there meet the family which would become my in-laws two years later in 1983. I was greeted by Chet and Eunice and their happy full size poodle, Bucky. I also met my future sisters in law Beverly and Bethany that day. Later that visit, I met future brother in law Barry and his wife Adria.

The home was built by Chet and Eunice in the late 1960s and in 1981 it looked pretty much exactly like that picture from the front. A two story salt box style, up a steep driveway surrounded by landscaping held in place by rock walls. Unlike my home state of Michigan where that many rocks would have cost a fortune, here in NJ they are more common than dirt! There was a pool and small deck in the back at that time. Eventually the pool departed and a great room was added to the back of the home along with a 3 season porch, but the house remained a home with those special touches everywhere.

What I didn't know then were the people who built and lived in that house. Those people, I now know, are the best. Chet, or Pops as we called him, was that guy that shook your hand and he MEANT it (and you better too!) He looked you straight in the eye as he introduced himself. Never have I a met a more genuine man. In his youth he served the US in the Army which is how he met his wife, my mother in law Eunice. He was a fantastic husband and father, an honest and hardworking businessman, and a blessing to his church and its community. He was always doing something be it fixing cars or building a boat or what have you. He absolutely loved to fish and carve wood and was a pretty good painter as well.

Eunice or simply Mom, was that person involved in many things. Not only was she in charge of the house in the pictures which she took such fine care of for all those years, she also handled everything else that went on inside it. But she was not bound to the house. She ran the church bookstore for years, she volunteered at the school's secondhand store. She did things like bringing baked goods to firefighters and police. She had a great sense of humor and had many friends whom she loved meeting for lunch and enjoying time together. She also like to travel taking many cruises and other trips. She also sewed doll clothing as another of her hobbies.

The youngest of Brenda's sisters was Bethany. Sadly, I didn't know Bethany long as she died in an unfortunate automobile accident while still in high school in 1992. The funniest thing I do remember though was her breaking out in chicken pox right after our wedding and the family hurrying back to NJ so they wouldn't get barred from their flight.

We lost Pops 16 years ago at the too young age of 71, but he will never be forgotten.

This year in the middle of the global pandemic we lost Mom to cancer. No memorial could be held and only the very closest family could even go to the outdoor grave. It was good that Brenda was able to spend 5 weeks with her just before. The near global work from home trend allowed her to be back at her childhood home for that time.

This week we were here setting up for the estate sale that begins soon after we depart. We spent many hours looking through so many things and remembering so many good times. It was time well spent. As we left that driveway today for the last time it was hard knowing we won't return. We won't get those warm greetings, smell fresh cookies or other goodies or look forward to great meals and conversations. Unlike both of my personal boyhood homes which I see many times each year, it's extremely unlikely I will ever even pass by this home again.

There is good news for this home though, in that it is such a perfect fit for its new owners. Though they come from a different culture and will bring different traditions and activities to the home for the first time, we wish them many many years of blessings and good times there.

Goodbye 638 Knollwood Road. While you will be missed, your memories and the memories of those wonderful people who lived within will bring smiles as long as I live. All my best for your second life.



- DrF