My "Uncle Steve" (middle name spelt either as Trible and Tribble by my grandmother -- Tribell also exists). Obviously he was named after his grandfather. He was married twice with the first ending in divorce. He was a machinist mate first class on a submarine during World War I, and was in the Asiatic Fleet for awhile before being stationed in the Mediterranean and Hawaii. During his tour of duty, he had to abandon ship in the mid-Atlantic as a result of a time-bomb explosion. In 1942, he quit his job as manager of a freight line to become chief patrolman at the Lanthrop Reconsignment and Holding Point, in order to "get into the war effort some way."

Uncle Steve had a small vineyard in Tracy, California, which I remember visiting with my parents when I was very young (the thing that sticks in my mind the most about that visit was how sandy the soil was there). He lived there with his second wife, Edith.

He moved around a lot, living in Oakland as well as Stockton. I also remember visiting them once in Stockton with my grandparents. The Wendt family really did not visit each other all that often, so these rare visits do stand out in my memory.

The last time I saw Uncle Steve was at my grandfather's funeral -- he bore a striking resemblance to Grandpa, his brother. After Aunt Edith passed away in 1976, Uncle Steve went to Hawaii with his housekeeper. He had always wanted to return there for many years, ever since he was stationed there during World War I. Sadly, he died the day after they arrived.