Speaking of genealogy and family lore: tell me the oddest or coolest fact from your family’s history.

My favorite relative was Uncle H. When he was born they hadn't decided on a name for him so Baby Cohen was put on his birth certificate and never changed. The day he died he as still legally Baby Cohen. He didn't marry until in his 70s (he dated a lot including Peter Falk's

and Kirk Douglas' sisters. He lived with one woman until she passed away and she left him lots of money. He married in his 70s and 6 months later he got up one day and said "yeah, marriage isn't for me" and left her.

Best story he told me: he enlisted for WWII. During his

training he went up to his Captain and said " next weekend in Rosh Hashanah and I have to go celebrate the Holy Days with my family." His request denied...he went anyway. When he got back he was sent to (I think) Governors Island as punishment where he remained for the rest of

the war. He was put in charge of guarding the Italian prisoners. He learned Italian. He also would have the Italian prisoners make Italian pastries for him and he would steal a jeep, take a box of pastries, and run up to see his family in Albany. The kids (mom's cousins) remember

him coming with pastries.

At the end of the war, the army (or navy? makes more sense) wanted to give him an honorable discharge but he hadn't done his mandatory miles in a ship so put him on a ship and he got a free trip to Italy and back. LOL. I have a photo of him from back

then. I'll find it because he was really handsome.