I wish I could say this had a happy ending where we did. Eventually the oldest cousins (his kids) got married and had their own kids and moved further away from the area. Far enough that for my uncle to see his grandkids it was a whole day's trip for him to get there and back. Didn't stop him from making it, or driving the 30 minutes into "town" to visit my family in the town that my mom's family had settled in when they came to the U.S.. I don't know if you ever saw the Sebastian Maniscalco bit about having "company" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Swzvm-gXHg but that to the tee was my Uncle. All of a sudden the doorbell would ring on a random evening and it would be him, cane in hand, derby cap to cover his bald head, and no matter what time of year he would wear a button up shirt tucked into nice pants. And in would come his amazingly well trained, docile, and loving dog that was a german shepherd mix mutt he would take with him everywhere that ate like a king because my aunt cooked the dog pasta and meatballs with her super amazing old world Italian tomato sauce. The dog pretty much refused to eat anything else in his waning days. I remember visiting him to console him after the dog passed and it was only the 2nd time I'd seen that man cry, the 1st at my grandmother's (his mother's) funeral.

Some of the oldest cousins were his kids and they fell into that trap a lot of parents did in the late 90s and early 2000s where the kids had to be enrolled in every friggin' activity you could think of so both parents and kids barely had any time to breathe between work and running Johnny to his two sports per every season and music lessons and Gina to her dance class, swimming class, and soccer/softball/basketball. Eventually when his kids and their kids couldn't make it to Sunday it became once a month. Another of the older cousins got married and had her own kids so her mother and father became really involved in going to all their special events for their million activities too and stopped being able to make it to Sundays.

Then my sister and I went off to college a few years apart from each other and decided to stay far away for a few additional years afterwards, so that left the two youngest cousins who were teens, my parents, and my other aunt and uncle as the only remaining people to do Sunday dinner. Eventually I think the spirit of it died because it just felt too empty without that whole loud, boisterous family full of kids all around the same age running around his huge property/house. I think it killed him a little that his own kids didn't value the Sunday dinner tradition enough to bring their kids when he could teach them the same thing he taught me about family and had hoped to pass down for generations. His kids also went through that period most young adult couples go through where they refuse to realize that their parents are human and have their faults and their tiniest character flaws get on their nerves so being asked to come to family dinner and see him more than once a week (because knowing my uncle he sure as shit was not going to not drive up to see his grandkids at least once a week) started to become a burden and a hassle.

I think the good part about it is I'll always have the memories of those Sundays. And even though some of the younger generation didn't get the message I hope he's looking down realizing I heard it loud and clear.