A Sort of Homecoming

Juli and I worked with the Nottingham Church of Christ in Stapleford, England from 1998-2000.  That's actually where we met.  But we haven't been back to England for over 7 years, so when we fly to the London area tomorrow morning, so it'll be a sort of homecoming.

During World War II my grandfather, Rip Turnbough was the pilot of a B-17 bomber.  His crew, Stormy Weather flew over 30 successful missions, bombing German targets on the European mainland.  He was stationed at Bury St. Edmunds in southeast England and the pub that was near their air base was renamed the Flying Fortress.  On Thursday evening, my parents, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmother will visit the pub, have a meal, and drink a pint in Papa's honor (well at least I will).

While my granddad was bombing the Germans, my grandmother was awaiting his return while working in a factory in Nebraska.  They met right before he flew to England and they were married after the war.  She grew up in Chicago, but her family had immigrated to the States from Denmark when Gigi was just a girl.  That's how a Danish girl wound up in west Texas via Chicago and Nebraska.  On Saturday my family will fly to Denmark and visit the village on the island of Fyn where my grandmother was born and raised for a time.  We may even run into some 2nd and 3rd cousins.  At any rate, it'll be cool to see where 1/4 of my DNA originated. - Shay