Outside Erie

12 Responses to “Living and Dying in Erie, Pa.”

1. Dale
   May 21st, 2008 at 12:38 pm

   First of all, I do not want this comment to start a firefight of opinion. It is strictly my take on the situation, no more, no less.
   The trend toward the de-emphasizing of the family unit that started back in the 70s is now beginning to show it’s true colors in the drastic lack of new births across the country. What began as “family Planning” has become a catch phrase for abortion, and a woman’s right has now become the cause of a great decline in familyhood. Just look at the vital stastics in the paper–Most days over half of newborns are to single mothers. Legal abortion has led to the reduction of the number of babys born since Roe vs Wade was enacted in 1972 by 3,500 per day.
   AT the same time medical breakthroughs have enabled our older population to live years longer,( with out providing any plan for end of life care that comes with age, by the way.)
   In my opinion, Erie is fortunate to have a very vocal pro-life movement which has succeeded in keeping the local abortion clinic shut down. That may be the reason that our birth to death ratio is less drastic than in the larger areas. Mess with Mother Nature, and it WILL come back to haunt you!!!

2. john morris
   May 21st, 2008 at 12:59 pm

   The neghborhood mentioned, Lawrenceville, is where I live in Pittsburgh. No doubt about it, natural decrease is the primary reason for population decline here right now. The article also mentions that some older people are moving back to town but few young people.

   Dale’s comment is a bit off base in that natural decrease is pretty much a phenomenon across most of the developed world. People are living longer, getting married later and generally having smaller families.

   I think one big factor at work is that the average couple now needs to support — the government which extracts close to 50% of household income.

   The article must seem strange to New Yorkers where the big problem is a massive housing shortage.

3. Dale
   May 21st, 2008 at 3:56 pm

   John, while I agree that what you say is correct, the anti-life mentality is one spin-off of the gotta have it all syndrome. When people had to have a McMansion instead of a sensible home, Gas-guzzling SUVs, and all the latest electronics goodies, children became an obstacle to “success”. Now two income households are becoming the new norm, and the population is declining. When you crunch the numbers,abortion alone has accounted for over 38,000,000 less kids in the US since 1972. One day’s total of 3500 procedures is as much as the total death toll from the Iraq conflict. 38,000,000 fewer tax-paying citizens, who would have gone a long way toward supporting the government without putting so much hardship on the family.

   And yes this situation is spread across the developed world. I’m trying to show cause and effect, here. I don’t see how 38 million less people can fail to be one of the major causes of declining population.

4. Jim
   May 21st, 2008 at 4:10 pm

   Good points Dale.

   I think one of the other issues we need to be concerned about has to do with the relocation of child bearing age couples to areas more conducive to employment opportunities which can impact birth rates.

   Many of our young people, of child bearing age are leaving the area, and their birth rates are then recorded elsewhere, and after our community stood the cost of educating them. We have got to get serious about reversing the brain drain, and the aging process of what’s left of our population is accelerating the drain. A different cause and effect from what Dale was illustrating, but coupled with his, has a huge negative impact on our future, if left unchecked.

   Unfortunately, in my opinion, all the tax money thrown at these public “family support” programs has only served to increase the public sense of entitlement. BHO now promises to accelerate the increase in spending in these same areas, which will only accelerate the demise.

   Nobody is putting any attention towards “traditional” family values, to the contrary those supporting them are labeled as extreme conservatives, etc.

5. Danny Lucas
   May 21st, 2008 at 4:32 pm

   In a twist of irony, this post called Living and Dying in Erie, PA” is dated May 21, 2008. My mom was born here in Erie in 1921. Ed Mead Mathews always says “Happy Birthday” to my mom this day each year and did so this morning. (6th name).

   Mom visited a sister in Portland, Oregon and had a stroke last Friday.

   She was due in Erie, PA yesterday 5/20/08, for a birthday celebration today, ….number 87.

   Mom made it to 87.
   She did not make it to Erie.
   She died today.
   Mom contributed 12 children to Erie,PA so I guess she did her part at the births statistic. 10 still outlive her, with my twin sisters Diana and Donna gone previously.

   Since I played outside our home safely everyday after school as a child, with perhaps 70 neighborhood kids until the street lights came on, I have to say that most families were huge in days of yore.

   I believe Dale is spot on target in his view, tho this is not a day for me to amplify on it. I do believe that no child should be allowed out of the hospital without a certificate denoting the name of the mother AND the father, instead of just the single mother being mentioned in the paper.

   It is tough enough to start out a life in this community with the style of family our society has come to embrace.

   Census figures easily confirm that births in Erie are not doing their part in creating enough citizens.

   Deaths continue to do their part faithfully.
   Mom will be buried in Erie with dad.
   Sometimes statistics do not matter.

   The search engines at Google will not record her laughter, generosity, kindness, sensitivity, and deep concern for all people of all faiths.
   They do show 293,000 hits for mom’s name.

   There is a schoolteacher; but mom out taught any other Mrs. Lucas one-by-one with the things that really count in life.

   There is a book author, but mom never wrote a book.

   She was only concerned that her name, and as many as she could educate, got their name written in the Book of Life.

   There is a civil engineer with mom’s name, but mom was only an engineer at civility.

   Mom is very much alive in many hearts and memories.

   Mrs. Lucas is recorded on the tablets of many hearts for her kindness, gentle spirit, keen wit, and thoughtful deeds.

   The statistics of our town, the statistics of our search engines, record many so called facts. But they miss the heartbeat of life in this town.

   I will miss it too.

6. Julio C. Reyes
   May 21st, 2008 at 4:55 pm

   Danny,

   My deepest condolences and sympathy for your loss.

7. Peter Panepento
   May 21st, 2008 at 4:57 pm

   Danny:

   My condolences to you and your family.

   What a touching tribute.

   Peter

8. DCSassy
   May 21st, 2008 at 5:06 pm

   Danny-

   I’m sorry to hear about your mom. I’ll keep you & your family in my prayers.

9. Dale
   May 21st, 2008 at 5:50 pm

   Danny, I’ve been concerned that we haven’t heard from you lately, now I understand the reason. What a beautiful tribute to your Mom. You and the other 9 children and their families will be in my prayers. I’m sure your Mom is already in a better place than she has ever been before, and deservedly so.

10. Daria
    May 21st, 2008 at 6:02 pm

    Happy Birthday Mrs. Lucas. We hope you have are having a special day meeting and greeting those you have loved and missed. We will say a special prayer for your Son Danny and your loved ones as they stay behind on this earthly journey.. As for you , God Bless you on yours…
    The Marnella Family

11. Danny Lucas
    May 22nd, 2008 at 5:41 am

    We have spoken of dying in Erie, PA. I wanted to impose a thought on living in Erie too.

    I am deeply grateful for the many kind words expressed here for my family and I; even more grateful for prayers as I am familiar with them being powerful and effective.

    Years ago, financial setbacks literally took the shirt off my back in town.
    A fellow I worked with at the time knew of my size in clothing (I do not know how I can measure more around, than up and down, but I suspect metric system gone awry). The “new” shirts and pants and everything fit to a tee and all were nearly new.

    Every Easter thereafter, I wore from that gift, a particular “rainbow” shirt; very formal, egg burst circles of every color, coupled with a tuxedo like front and collars that were England anew. Year after year, I only wore it one day a year, Easter, and put it away, and added a prayer for its first owner with each wearing. He lives in Erie. That shirt never failed to be the talk of every Easter among my friends and acquaintences. A total stranger gave it to me.
    I asked daughter, Karli, to bury me in it one day.

    I had one year long ago, given mom a Bible with appropriate inscriptions.
    She had once turned around and looked at me beaming a most wonderful smile. I had my camera in hand and snapped it at the peak moment of smile rays. It was placed on a blank page in the Bible I gave her years ago and I wrote:
    “Thought For The Day” above the picture.
    The picture filled the page with mom smiling over her shoulder.
    Below, I wrote: ” Most smiles are started…….by another smile!”.
    Much more was written, but that page intrigued everyone.
    And then THEY smiled!

    In her final year, mom had gathered that Bible and stuffed the pages with my dad’s World War II papers, the birth certificates of my twin sisters who had preceded in death, incredible personal letters and notes, and more.
    She asked that the Bible be placed in her casket with all the papers and pictures of a lifetime.

    When I was 17, I bought her Rosary beads in Barcelona, Spain. They were handcut out of wood and each bead about the size of a small ping-pong ball. For nearly 4 decades, it would hang on her living room wall.

    Some items count more in living than others.
    When the family home was sold and I was in Bethlehem and then, Florida, I cared nothing about hutches and knick-knacks. Mom and I did discuss all last year what would be the fate of the Bible described above.

    I wanted to keep that particular Bible for my daughters; the contents of papers and pictures could easily be placed in the family Bible instead.

    My suitcoats and ties, sweaters and shirts, boxes of family pictures, and the various items above were in my car. The Bible was in my glove compartment with all those contents in the pages. I knew I would wear that special shirt for Easter and a funeral one year instead of just Easter alone.

    I cannot replace the pictures or the papers or that shirt.
    I can someday replace everything else.

    I guess someone needed those things pretty bad to take them from my car and steal them.
    I just do not understand the theft of an inscribed Bible tho.

    As is often the case, I thought I had more time to try and find everything.
    My sister asked me about the Bible today as she knew I brought it up from Florida. I do not think she believes me when I told her that someone stole it out of my glove compartment along with everything else I brought up from Florida.

    Maybe if someone sees this note, word could get out to whoever needed to borrow everything for a while, to quietly go to my car, unlock it as you were able to do before, and put everything back.
    It would make living in Erie now, precisely as I remember doing years ago.

    I was given a metal box from Aruba.
    Van Gogh portraits were on all sides, the top and bottom.
    He was good with pictures. Me too, tho I made photos not portraits.
    I decided to put my very best “Van Gogh’s” of my daughters growing up into my Van Gogh metal box.

    While mom’s funeral will go better with a return of the other stuff, I would like the Bible and my Van Gogh’s returned the most.
    I am grateful for this space to speak up as I do not have the luxury of time to go to another venue. I hope it is not edited out here.

12. jan
    May 22nd, 2008 at 6:24 am

    Though I only “know ” you through this thread, I , too, wanted to express my deepest condolences on the loss of your mother Mr. Lucas. It is the most difficult thing losing one’s mother. Many many thoughts and prayers are with you today and in the days to come. Your tribute to her is a reminder to all to value every moment we have together on this Earth.