Mr. Ed

One of the things in life I value most are my friends. Good friends make life so much better. Mr. Ed, as everyone at Siding Associates called him, was a great friend. We had a lot of common interests. He came from the “old school” and had his ideas about what should or should not be. We had many great discussion from religion to politics. He was our driver who delivered and picked up siding for our business. I was very sad when he passed away from pneumonia one of the last years I worked there.  This poem is my tribute to him.

Found a good friend at my last job

We called him Mr. Ed not Jim or Bob

A kindred spirit we hit it off right away

Shared many discussions and stories along the way

In the winter of his life he wanted to work

He was not one to sit at home and perk

Drove our old Ford pick-up all across town

Delivered supplies and siding all around

To the bank, to the job, and picked up our biscuits

At Oak Level Café as regular as the clock ticks

Our go-to guy dependable as the sun

In spite of emphysema he was not really done

Forty years of puffing had clogged his lungs

But that didn’t stop him from having lots of fun

Sales were slow wooden pallets were many

He wanted a Rocker so I got him one ready

 

Recycled oak

cleaned, sanded, and finished

Copied from an old one in spite of nail blemish

We rocked together between his runs

He was a joy to know and a lot of fun

His dry sense of humor was filled with wit

Gave us many laughs that left us in a stitch

I loved him like a father he returned the love

Until pneumonia brought his calling form above

He fought it bravely but his body was done

We lost Mr. Ed and all of his fun

I lost a good friend but not the memories

Of his smile his jokes and all of his stories

I see his old truck and it makes me smile

He loved to drive he put on many a mile

He was a great friend as I sat by his side

Gone but not forgotten

He was born to ride.

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Photos: Dwight L. Roth & Dan Neice

Pallet Rocker made by Dwight L. Roth