Uncle G’s Thoughts On…Mother’s Day (2015)

10 May 2026

Uncle G’s Thoughts On…Mother’s Day

By Gary Brown AKA Gary “Uncle G” Brown
GaryBrown@garyunclegbrownarchives.com

Note: I wrote this eleven years ago. Nothing regarding the subject matter has really changed. I am in contact now with an older half-brother from my Moms side-of-the-family. I also have a half-sister who resides in Florida. Because of this website, he found me. Is currently living happily ever after in the Philippines. Good for him! – GB (10 May 2026)

10 May 2015
Mother’s Day

I knew my Mom for the first seven years I existed. Memories nowadays are blurbs. Visions of this or that. Nothing before age 4. My parents and I were living in Texas then. After, memories of us moving to New Jersey. I attended kindergarten in South Amboy, New Jersey, at age five. Around here is where music took hold of me. My Mother was a professional musician. A piano/accordion player. Might have sang as well. My favorite song that she performed is ” Red Roses For A Blue Lady.

In the end, I know nothing about her, except for her life after giving birth to me. And when I say nothing, that’s exactly what I mean. I only had contact with a daughter she previously had before my Dad entered her … life. Nothing after my Mom passed away. No one else. I don’t remember the exact date of her birthday anymore. Where was she born? Not one hundred percent sure. Nor do I remember the date she died. I know the year was 1968. Was 49 years old. I don’t know where she is buried anymore. My memories are those of a young child, and certain memories are fading now that I have entered the fifth decade of my existence. Could I get in a car and drive to her gravesite? No, I could not. Here’s the only clue I have. She’s buried somewhere in New Jersey, between South Amboy and the Jersey Shore. In a cemetery that at the time (the 1960’s) didn’t allow above-ground headstones. I remember a traffic circle. Route 9 may be part of the puzzle. Vague memories at best.

Accompanying Photo: Thelma Willnetta McConnell Brown (1919 – 1968) — I can’t swear that’s the proper spelling of her name. More so her middle, and maiden (I assume). It’s the ONLY photo I have of her. Possibly from Indiana. I don’t know for sure.

Promotional Photo – Thel Brown – Cordo Tunes – a band she had in Brownsville, Texas. Sometime around 1965.

A professional musician who played in bars, she ended up becoming a real alcoholic. Hide whisky bottles throughout the apartment we were staying at. Her last years in and out of hospitals. Reasons being all drinking-related. Wet brain towards the end. Hepatitis – liver failure. As sad as you imagine it to be, it was. I carry horrible memories, fucking nightmares, to this day. I vividly remember seeing her in her coffin. My grieving father insisted I give her one final kiss.

For years, I hated my mother simply for dying. Figured she didn’t give a shit about me, or she just put down the bottle. Little did I understand. Fourteen years after her death, I was in an alcohol ward, going through the DT’s. The beginning stages of my coming to grips with my childhood. A ton of issues, as one can only imagine.

Today I love my Mom. I miss her, still. Wish I knew more about her. I really should get the lead out of my ass and go see what I could find. Curiosity is the reason, if not anything else. She’s the reason I appreciate music as much as I do. And for that, I love and thank her.

End of Article

Sheet Music Image – Red Roses For A Blue Lady (1948 – Sid Tepper – Roy C. Bennett)

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