Sunday, September 25, 2022
I spent a bit of time with grandpa Chester during the last 15 years that I knew him as both neighbor and friend. He was a wonderful man, and I regret that I did not spend more time with him the last few years of his life. He was “gruff with his words” as written in this beautiful obituary but genuine and real all the way, a true “man’s man” with great insight, wit and a fascinating life story — his life was truly very well-lived, and I loved talking to him about his experiences in Korea, his life as a young soldier stationed in south Texas, and his time in Harlem as a business owner. He was a great conversationalist and we both shared a love of history. A story to share … one day several years ago I was working on my car in the garage. Grandpa drove by, stopped and came to talk to me. He said “why aren’t you working today, and do you know what you’re doing” (gruff with words, right?). I said “it’s my birthday; I took the day off”. He laughed and said “come on, I never took my birthday off!l Anyway, I pretended to know what I was doing, but he showed me all kinds of “tricks” for working on cars. He left and said “I hope you don’t screw it up Tim”. He came back about an hour later and brought me a chocolate cake and said “you only turn 45 once; enjoy your birthday cake”. He was that kind of guy and to know him was to love him. RIP grandpa Chester, you will be missed!
