This is Rachel's Eulogy for Chip
Thank you all for being here today. I am Rachel, Chip’s older sister. Chip was born 5 days before my 4th birthday when we lived in Heidelberg, Germany. I remember the day he came home from the hospital. It was like getting a really cool birthday present, but I’m not going to lie and say I was 100% excited about getting a baby brother. I was mostly excited, but I had been the star of the show up until this point so some adjustments were necessary on my part.
I did take my job as his big sister very seriously, though. I loved to have someone to play with, to protect, to take care of, and most of all, to boss around. Chip was an easy going and fun-loving kid, and he let me boss him around a lot, because he had this uncanny ability to let things just roll off his back. He usually wasn't the biggest guy in the room, but I guarantee he was the guy with the kindest, biggest heart. He had a wide open personality that invited people in for a bear hug, figuratively. And sometimes literally, whether you liked it or not. He was also a typical pesky little brother who gave me fits sometimes. We have amazing, wonderful parents and our baby sister, Leah, came along in 1980 and we adored her.
Our dad was in the Army, so we moved a lot. I mean A LOT. Many of you are Air Force people, and you have to move what? Every 4 years? That’s cute. For a period of time, the Army moved the Rohr family every year. At Christmas. Chip went to 5 different elementary schools, I went to 6 and Leah went to 3. At each new place we always had each other, though. We played like we were best friends and fought like normal siblings do. Chip and I played with our Fisher Price jeep and canoe camping set in the creek next to our apartment in Georgia. We played with our Star Wars figures and we played Barbies. We played in the snow in New Jersey. We rode our bikes in the field across from our house in Maryland. We moved back to Germany and then on to El Paso, Texas, and after that, Virginia Beach. We always went home to Pennsylvania for holidays with cousins, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. These moves shaped us and bonded us together and I don’t think any of us would have traded that life for anything.
One time in New Jersey when Chip was preschool age, two of the heads, just the heads, from my Barbie dolls mysteriously went missing. I couldn’t find them anywhere, but I held onto those headless Barbie bodies hoping that the heads would turn up. Eventually, mom made me throw them out, because broken toys do not make the cut when you are packing for your next move. About a week later, after the trash had already gone out and been collected, Mom was going through toys in Chip’s room. Chip must have known the jig was up, because he very sheepishly produced both of the missing Barbie heads. I’m not sure where he was hiding them or why, but I guess this is when he developed his thing for beautiful blondes. I was so mad at him, but his ability to make me laugh meant that I couldn’t stay mad at him for any length of time.
We all know Chip loved to have fun and, often he was the fun. If something wasn’t fun, Chip brought the fun. Growing up, his love for fun and mischief sometimes got him in trouble, with mom and dad at home, or with kids on the playground. I’m not sure what Chip did, but a couple of times he ticked off older, bigger kids in the neighborhood. Whatever he did, I’m sure it was funny. He told me that Steve Terhune or Ricky Grossclose (actual names of bullies by the way) were picking on him. No one was allowed to mess with my little brother. Except me, of course. I would then have to hunt the bully down, smack him, and yell at him to stop messing with my little brother. All in a day’s work when you're the oldest sibling. Naturally, as Chip got older he needed me less and less for this and he began to do this for Leah. When he was diagnosed with cancer it took me back to being that 10 year old kid ready to go toe-to-toe with anyone, or anything, to protect my little brother. I wished it was as simple as slapping a bully away from him. Unfortunately, cancer doesn’t work that way.
Chip lived four and a half years with a devastating diagnosis. I think his ability to always look for the humor, seek out the fun, and let things roll off his back helped him get through this. The love and support he got from Jenny and the utter joy Avery gave him kept him going. He always had a twinkle in his eye and I see that same twinkle in Avery’s eye. I know that he is still with us. We love you, Chip, and we always will.
No comments:
Post a Comment