Grumpa Joe as a Toddler
Grampa Wigh died with a cigarette burning in his hand. The ash was nearly one inch long. He was discovered by a friend. The friend stopped by to pick him up, a daily routine. They would drive the distance to Fish Corners for a beer. Grampa would stay at the tavern all evening, nursing his one beer and smoking his Camel cigarettes. He would spend the time socializing with the many people who came to Fish Corners for gas or groceries, or for a social outlet.
When the friend, Mr. Toth, didn’t get a response from his toot, he decided to check on Jim. Jim was just inside the door on the daybed. The cigarette was still burning between his fingers. He looked asleep. He was dead. It was 1958 and I was at the University of Illinois in my first semester after transferring from St. Joe College.
Filed under: Biography, Characters I knew, family, Funk, grief, Jun-e-or, Memories, Warm and Fuzzy | Tagged: Beer, Camels Cigarettes, Fish Corners, Saint Joseph's College, Social Outlet, Tavern, University of Illinois |
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