Morels, may flowers, asparagus, spinach, the scent of mown grass, high water, rain, graduations, ball games and tournaments, all mean spring and summer are about to collide. Memorial Day. I have been thinking about this journal for awhile. It is difficult to reopen doors to the memories of those friends of mine who gave their lives for our country. The two closest to me were Mike Davidson and Richard Junk.
As a teenager, Mike worked for my grandpa during summers, bailing hay and such. I idolized him. He smoked, with his pack of Camels rolled up in his shirt sleeve. He had freckles and sunburned terribly but said it didn't hurt. He had a duck tail hair cut like Cookie Burns on 77 Sunset Strip. He drove fast and he knew a lot about girls. He enlisted in the Marines and was killed in combat a couple of weeks into a tour in Viet Nam.
Richard was an older kid on the school bus. He was always smiling. He knew my dad and family because my dad bred cows for Tri-State Breeders on their farm. We were friends. The last time I saw him was on Main Street in Cassville. He was in his Air Force dress uniform, a sergeant. He told Dad and I that he was shipping out for Viet Nam. He was really excited. He was going to see Asia. We shook his hand and the next thing I remember about him is the morning at Timmerman's Sunoco when we learned that he had died in Viet Nam. He only had a month or so left of his tour. Both Mike and Richard were 20 when they died.
Besides the vets, there are so many other people to remember who have passed on that were important to Ellen and I. Of course I start my list with family: my dad, Bud Koelker and my grandparents, Joe and Wilma Koelker and Charles and Mary Potter; Ellen's parents, Walt and Marge Hauk, her Uncle Mose Hauk, El's sister Joyce, and brothers Mike, Bob, and Dick, brother-in-law Dave Junk and sister-in-law Jodi Hauk. This list could be a lot longer I know. All of these people influenced our lives in so many ways, some of which I have shared over the years in this space. I still think to call my dad when I have a question about fixing something or have cooked up a new scheme, but then I remember. He would have loved hearing about our geo thermal install. When I smell hot grease on machinery in summer, I always think of Grandpa Koelker working on a tractor or truck or piece of machinery while I handed him tools and he explained what they were for. (I actually understood how bailer knives worked at one time.) Grandma Potter made the best biscuits in the world. When I take school pictures, I am often reminded of “coach” Joyce, who took thousands of photos of her beloved nieces and nephews and Cassville Comet sports teams and other events - using a film camera and processing the prints to be shared with the kids - on her own nickel. Whenever there is a big job to do like clearing a field or building something, we both remember El's dad's saying that, “Many hands make light work.” El's mom used to love to have us all around for family dinners. My favorite was on opening morning of the deer hunt. She would always say, “Go back to bed. I just heard on the radio that the DNR has ordered the opening time pushed back to 10 o'clock!” Even so, she would have gotten up in the night to put the French Toast Casserole in the oven. After breakfast was over and we were all off to the woods, I wonder if she ever went back to bed. Probably not.
I have been thinking about so many of our friends who have left us too. The first one to come to mind is my former boss at Channel 8, Matt Wadium. He hired me and we became great friends over the 13 years I worked there. El and I were like family to his family. He and I went hunting and fishing a lot. He taught me photography too. His son Mark still hunts here during the gun season. Another great friend to be remembered is our neighbor Emmet Clements. We bought our farm from him. A long-time widower, he was always telling me what a good woman I had and that I had better take good care of her. Emmet had a crush on my wife, I think. When I pass his now empty house, I so wish he could still be out there on the bench or driving a tractor along the road maybe. He died in his late 90's. So many young people I knew, classmates, and many of my former students and ball players, have gone on before that I don't know where I would start my list. The most recent classmates to pass on were Kathy Bartels and Greg Lenz. I was crazy about Kathy in high school - all the guys were. Greg was my best friend from the time we were five. We made music together in a couple great bands and had so many great memories together. He and I shared that love of the Beatles and Buddy Holly and rock and roll. His favorite saying was Ob la di!
Anyway, I realize I run the risk of not mentioning so many people I really haven't forgotten; it is just that space and time are limited. I think I could write a book of memories.
After I started writing this week's journal, I learned that my young friend and former student, John Cina lost his battle with cancer on Saturday. He was a great young man - only 28 - with so much potential and good in him. I will always remember his smile and great attitude whether it was in a class, on the field, or just in passing. Our sympathy goes out to his loved ones.
Until next time, get out - enjoy the long weekend; catch a fish or go for a hike or just have a picnic. Whatever you do, take a moment to remember.
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