Remembering fun times with the Mayes men

As I raise three boys of varying ages, there are times when I look in them and I see me.

Of course, they tend to carry some similar physical characteristics.

But, when I look at myself in the mirror, I often see glimpses of two other men — men who I tend to look like.

My dad, Edward Ray Mayes, died at age 45 and my only brother, Gary Ray Mayes, died at the young age of 42.

This is the time of year when I tend to think about them.

Gary died on Oct. 10, 2007, so Monday is, of course, an anniversary for him. And my dad’s birthday is Oct. 13. If he were still here, Thursday would be his 72^nd birthday.

My childhood is dotted with many fun memories with the two of those guys – sometimes playing a game of pool, watching a ball game, or even taking in my dad’s famous homemade ice cream.

I wonder what my dad would be like as a grandpa. Of course, he never got to be one while he was here.

I bet he would love to have my kids comes sit on his lap. I’m sure he would hand out a noogie to each boy. (By the way, Wikipedia also refers to this as a Monkey Scrub, in case you know it by that name.)

I can see my brother — AKA “Uncle Gary” — eating pizza with the boys on a Friday night, cranking up the music and just having a good time.

It’s important to bring up the Mayes men of the future. But, it also important to remember the Mayes men that helped me along the way.

Here’s to you gentlemen! I hope we’re making you proud!

• An editor by day, Scott Mayes is also dad to Matthew, Micah and Nathan. He’s also son to Edward Mayes and brother to Gary Mayes. He remembers dad’s ice cream and playing a mean game of Frisbee with his brother.