Joe

or It Was a Privilege

Saturday, Ward and I went to a memorial service for a former neighbor, Joe. Joe lived a long, good life and died at the age of 92. When the service was over, a friend through her tears, said that we all need to know someone like Joe.

Joe grew up on a farm in Virginia and served in WW II receiving both a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his service. He married his sweetheart, Patsy, and had four children. Joe was no stranger to hard work and often worked two jobs to provide for his family. He sometimes bartered and did additional work to provide extras for his kids like piano lessons and braces. Joe stressed the importance of education to his children, but also told them that common sense beats book learning every time. He was an active member of his church and used his faith to help him through some of the difficult times in his life.

We got to enjoy the fruits of Joe's labor.

When we first met Joe and his wife, Patsy, they were retired but living an active life. They were the first ones to welcome us to the neighborhood with a plate of brownies and we became fast friends. Joe spent time with Wally and Theo showing them some of his things from WWII and telling them of his experiences. He also showed them his favorite saddle and told them stories about his time on the farm.

Joe hadn't lived on a farm for a long time when we moved to the neighborhood, but it seemed that once a farmer, always a farmer. He could usually be found outside tending to one plant or another. Joe planted an acre of garden for just he and Patsy. Well, actually, he and Pasty, and his friends, and his neighbors. We could always depend on Joe for a steady supply of fresh vegetables during the summer.

I think that I always felt a special connection to Joe because he reminded me of my father. Joe and my father were the same age and both grew up on a farm. They loved being outside and they both felt there was no need to do something unless you were going to do it big and well. Their gardens were a perfect example of that. And as they aged, they also found a way to keep doing what they wanted, sometimes to the dismay of those around them. Below is a perfect example of that.

After Patsy died, Joe's kids worried about their dad being home alone because he had his own set of health problems at this point. They got him a golf cart to use as he checked on his garden, etc. I think that his kids thought the cart would lessen the chance that he would fall while he was roaming around on his three acres. I was surprised, but Joe used his cart faithfully. However, one day I looked out the window and Joe was on the top of a ladder with a chainsaw trimming one of his big trees. No spotters, no help, just a man doing what he thought had to be done. I went across the street and told him that I was there on behalf of his children and they didn't approve of what he was doing. However, I got a big chuckle from it and admired the fact that he was going to keep doing what he liked as long as he could.

I couldn't agree with my friend more. We all need to know or to have known someone like Joe. Someone who valued hard work. Someone who was faithful to his family and church. Someone who put his life on the line for his country. And someone who provided his neighbors with a steady supply of fresh vegetables. I am very happy that I had the privilege to know one of those people.