The Fausts

The Fausts. Don and Susie, Donna, Joey, Moira, Karen, Steve, Jenny and Miche. Where do I start.

I'll start with Uncle Don (pictured at left), out of respect for my superior officer. Uncle Don was an Army Colonel and commanded a support battalion in New Orleans. I remember growing up watching from a distance as he served in the Army Reserves. I would always ask him military questions and secretly wanted very badly to join the military. His son Joey and my closest cousin always were proud to say that Joey's dad was a bird colonel, whatever the hell that was. Well, now I know full well what a bird colonel is, in fact I salute them all of the time! I mirror Uncle Don in temperment (fiesty), degree (Economics), and the military.

"Mimi" was Mary Blanchard, my mother's mother, wife to Joseph S. "Bouie" Blanchard, and mother of nine children, Jo (my mother), Susie, Mug, Di, (Sister) Julie, Boots, Al, Trish and Jody. Mimi - all would agree - was the sweetest matriarch this world has ever seen. Of all Mimi's kids, one had the Mimi "sweet" gene: Aunt Susie (Uncle Don's wife, pictured above). I don't want to get in trouble here because all of Mimi's kids (my aunts and uncles) are themselves chip's off the old block, a fantastic combination of Mimi and Poppi's best qualities. But all would agree, Susie is this generation's Mimi. And since my beloved Mom died in 1999, Suzie ascended to family matriarch. My mother was a warhorse, the greatest - ask Susie, but there was only room for one queen while she was alive! (I can see Mimi and Poppi, Mom and Nana, at Heaven's clubhouse, The Divine Divot, laughing at that one over their bourbons and water.)

In any event, Aunt Susie, is this day revered by all who know her -- like we all revered Mimi when she was alive. I remember, growing up, that I liked Suzie's Red Beans and Rice as well as I liked my mom's, but I would never dare tell either!

One thing you can say about the Fausts, in tribute to Don and Susie, is that all of the Fausts are the nicest, most respectful, and giving family I have ever known. Every Faust is nice, every Faust is respectful and would give you the shirt off of their back, thinking of themselves last - always. If my kids learn anything from Annie and I - I hope they learned those traits.

Suzie and Don had seven kids. And since Susie was mom's immediate younger sister, we were close as a family with the Fausts. Donna, the oldest (and the only grandkid of Mimi and Poppi older than me, damn it), was a year older than me. Donna saved money when she was young, made good grades, became a nurse immediately, and was/is sweet in the Mimi/Susie grand tradition. The highlight of growing up in New Orleans was going out with Donna to a couple of Donna's Metairie Road's Irish bars...To this day, I enjoy nothing more. You taught me well, Donna.

Next in line came Joey. Joey and I were and are best friends. We played "hard" in New Orleans growing up. Where Joey was good I was bad. Where Joey was bad I was good. What an unbelievable combination for a friendship. Joey reminds me of Joe Montana, with the looks that drives my wife crazy! (she and Joey dancing is a true spectator's sport) and the ability to effortlessly make all the right decisions. The Big Easy. Growing up, he turned more girls down in one night than I knew. But I will say, that Joey was a chump on the golf course. There, now I feel better.

Joey and I went to Daytona Beach as high school seniors - What the hell were our parents thinking? We went in Joey's hooptie, which had one tape - The Allman Brothers/ Eat a Peach. To this day I am mysteriously hooked on Whipping Post and One Way Out. In any event, we went to houndog women. Period. Two bachelors in the prime of life. Our sales pitch: Hey babe, wanna come back to our campground? Daryl and his brother Daryl. We wonder why we had such a pedestrian trip. Two Not Ready for Prime Time players meandering around the big leagues for chasing women, Daytona. We had no money, so we ate pork and beans (and Spam on Friday night) at every meal. An aside: Joey insisted that I wash the pot in hot water, something Susie must have taught him. I remember we had $19.00 leaving Daytona Beach, just enough gas money to get home and and to buy another can of pork and beans to eat on the way. What's Joey up to now? Troubleshooting electrical operations for Rolls Royce all over the world and stewarding his beautiful daughters, Heidi, Kristen and Suzanne, through life. Ummmm? I wonder who that last one's named after?

For reason of teen-year age differences, I didn't hang around much with the younger Fausts as much. Moira, sweet as she can be, is close in age, and so were Karen and Steve. But they were "kids" to me and Joey. Moira is Down Under now which, for some reason, reminds me of this beer commercial. And Stevie, as we all called him then, is now an architect in Nawlins.

Now Karen, quiet and soft-spoken, who has never raised here voice as far as I know, happens to play a part in the greatest near tragedy in my life, at least up to age seven. All of the Faust kids and the Burns kids (totalling eleven) were playing in the backyard of Susie and Don's house on Page Drive. We also lived on Page Drive. In fact, the whole world until about 1965 revolved around Page Drive, Metairie, LA. In any event, small kids were running around in a frenzie. Joey and I, up to know good, me the planner, Joey the executioner, were playing with a bamboo pole. I told Joey, let's throw it like a javelin. As I remember it, when it became my turn, instead of throwing it, I started running with the bamboo pole like I was getting ready to pole vault. As I ran, Karen , who must have been 3, had the great misfortune of being around me with that pole. As I was running with the pole out in front of me, pointing forward like a cannon, I remember the pole struck Karen directly in the eye, the pole bending upward severly until I thought the pole would snap, such was the force behind the pole. That instant, I remember running out of the yard, down the street as fast as I could, not looking at Kiwaanee, darting across the street to my house. I ran to my room, closed the door, and said Hail Mary's I think. I thought the pole might have killed Karen much less blinded her in that eye. Needless to say, the eye was injured badly and Karen has had several operations (I believe), but can see out of that eye. Karen, and all of the Fausts, to this day, have never said a negative word about the acident.

The accident taught me a great deal about being careless around kids. I'm sure I overprotected my kids as a result. That experience was a doozy for a seven year old boy....and for Karen.

Next is Jenny, the motorcycle-riding Psychology professor at Cal Davis. The sweet braniac of the bunch. Last, but not least, is Miche (pronounced Mish). I remember when Mich was born, many years after Jenny. Joey and I thought at the time, What's up with that? But the Fausts wouldn't be the Fausts without the trailing Miche.

So, now you know more about the Fausts, my closest relatives and a true Southern, genteel family. As you may know from an earlier post, my Mom in heaven and Aunt Susie, her closest sister not only in age, communicate as only two close sisters can (remember the fly story?). For that I am drawn even closer to all the Fausts.

And to COL Faust: Job well done, sir. Huah!