Lesslie Koelsch

I am a second cousin, once removed, to Chris and a second cousin to his father, Fred, Jr. We met for the first time on June 7, 2017. Our meeting was followed by visit to Chris’s grandmother and grandfather and his two aunts in Washington, D.C. in November 2018. It was a (re)union of an unknown branch of the family, unknown for 77 years. And what a great visit it was with the entire family. How fortunate I am to have met Chris and his family. My husband John and I so much enjoyed Chris and Fred, Jr., on their brief visit with us in San Francisco where we shared some experiences and the ironies of not knowing family memories until so late in life. As Chris and Fred were headed to LA late in the day, we savored every moment--Chris a handsome young man, so kind and so excited about his recent graduation and his career in photography ahead of him. Fred was so proud of his son and their close bond was quite obvious. Now, all of that and that he got a terrific job has been lost. But we have a brief memory and photograph too, of Chris standing with his dad--exhibiting that strength, that very apparent loving bond gives us all the strength to move forward, with Chris, now watching over us, showing us the importance of love and caring in all we do. Leslie