My brother in law Wally has left this world due to COVID. I think at this point everyone knows someone who’s been affected by COVID. Wally didn’t even have a chance with this fight. He had just begun another round of Chemo which had weakened his immune system. I don’t know all the details but it seemed it took him in less than a week.

When I have been asked about my brother in law I have always responded that “He’s A Good Man.” I don’t say that very often. Hell, I don’t know if I consider myself a good man? It was a given that he was a very intelligent man. You see he was a jet mechanic. It takes a man with a lot of knowledge to be able to keep up in that field. Luckily, he got to retire a few years back and he and my sister were able to live a life that I was envious of. First, they had the small cottage house on the lake where the family was invited to visit them often. It was a relaxing environment sitting on the porch watching the boats or Loons go by.

They took their retirement a little further and built their own house in Northern Wisconsin near the Upper Peninsula. It seemed to me in the middle of nowhere. They were on the river in the middle of the woods with the abundance of animal life around them including the occasional bear dropping by. I was happy for my sister and Wally, that they had this opportunity to enjoy their life together. For me, life has gotten in the way of my ability to join them up there even though I knew I had an open invitation.

There is an unspoken challenge us guys have and Wally was one of the winners of it. You see among us guys it’s kind of an obsession to see who’s going to die with the most toys. More importantly, though, is actually using those toys. Wally did get to play with his toys and he actually knew how to use all of them. I know he enjoyed himself. I never had to worry about my sister as I had a brother who knew how to take care of things. He was a good man.