Hi everyone:
I lost a good friend today. About three weeks ago, Ron was diagnosed with a malignent brain tumor. Last Sunday, the St Louis University Hospital staff performed emergency brain surgery to remove the tumor. Due to complications, i.e infections and other things, he suffered a heart attack and died today.
He was 68. I grew up with his oldest kids. They live across the street from my folks house and my business. When he retired from the Army Corps of Engineers, he worked for me as a seasonal delivery driver. I can't tell you all how often, during the busy season (Christmas Poinsettias and Easter Lily and Hydrangea wholesale seasons), that I would load the truck late at night knowing that Ron had the keys to the truck and would be on the road at 4:30 am making my deliveries. He would come back at mid morning and we would have another truck loaded and ready for him to "go" and deliver. Often times, we would have a third truck loaded and he would take off. There were many nights that I would be home and he was still on the road. He loved doing it. Even with a very bad hip (prior to hip replacement) he made my wholesale plant deliveries. Ron would take a concrete block, use that as a step to climb up in the truck. He would then take his kane and hook the block and pull it up in the truck so he could use it when he got out. He wanted to be helpful and productive.
Back in the 1950's, he helped build missile silos in the Dakotas and in the 1960's he helped build the launch pad at Cape Kennedy. He moved here when the corps was ready to open Illinois' largest man made lake.
When hurricanes would hit Florida or the east coast, often he would volunteer and help with the clean up. He would be gone for weeks. He loved that kind of stuff.
He once told me that being retired "was not all what it was cracked up to be".
I'm going to miss him.
joe
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