Wichita, Kansas.
My dad is an only child but his parents lived there and that's where he grew up. My paternal grandmother was one of 13 children so my dad had lots of aunts and uncles. Surprisingly, of his 13 aunts and uncles, only 3 of them had children, so he only had 3 first cousins. My mom, on the other hand, grew up in Newton, a small town about 30 minutes north of Wichita and SHE was one of 13 children, too. Unlike my dad's family, her brothers and sisters all had scores of kids. However, they didn't stay in Newton. They're scattered all over the U.S. now and we don't really know them.
But My dad had tons of lifelong friends who lived in Wichita and they became closer to him than "family". There was no way we'd ever go to Wichita without my dad making every effort to see them all. That went on for probably 70+ years until the end of life came knocking. I think they're all gone now... including my parents.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2025 11:03AM by MamaRAMa.