Nathan Chamberlain
Uncle Dan always called me “Nate”; always. I still hear the way hey said it, too. He had a specific emphasis that always made me feel like he was happy to see me or hear from me. I always liked hearing from him. He was always quick to smile and laugh.When I was 6 or 8 years old, Uncle Dan gave me a simple blue starfish for Christmas. This set into motion an obsession he fed. He helped me collect every color, shape, and size starfish I could. I displayed them all proudly in my bedroom and even dusted them (sometimes). I checked out books from the library. I took my whole collection to school for my whole class to see. I never returned those library books.Uncle Dan lived far away from our childhood home (he had grown up there too, a generation before), but I thought of him often. He was the first person I ever emailed, back when we was an early-adopter of America Online. He responded quickly with, “Hey Nate!” It completely blew my mind.At my 2005 wedding, he was a real hit. My new mother-in-law fawned over his amazing head of hair, and my new brothers-in-law giddily asked, “Who invited Jerry Garcia?!” But he was always a little more Bob Dylan, really. And with his bushy white beard, rosy cheeks, and plump lower lip – I always thought of him more as Santa Clause. He gave great gifts and had a hearty, infectious laugh I’ll never forget.