Uncle John is gone
I'm the Prince Harry of the family. But like Harry, I love my family as much as I reveal their warts. I was his only niece and he was my beloved uncle. His name was John Luther Kammerdiener: I feared his judgment, yet silently sought out his wisdom. After Mom, his sister "Kathy", passed in 2018 I was finishing my master's thesis at King's. He did not understand why I would return to London after I submitted it. "Because I want to graduate with my cohort." "Laurie, I never met anyone who needed to be in the ceremony. You need to get back and get a JOB." He was right, of course, but he also watched the livestream from Royal Festival Hall and congratulated me in the form of $700 and a card from my aunt Ellen. "We are so proud of you," she wrote. Two PhDs proud of ME. My mother's relationship with him was sometimes fraught. He'd buy her an expensive bed for her guest bedroom, yet she blew up when Ellen asked for the wi-fi pass...
