1915-2009 Thank You Joe!

When you meet a great man, sometimes there’s something about that initial greeting that just says to you in that little voice deep within, that greatness is surrounding you!  I’ve never experienced such a thing before but this time I just felt connected, immediately.  When I was introduced to Joe Watkins, Jennifer’s Grandfather there was something about that moment that I felt in my heart that this man is what life is all about.  What is it that stirs such an emotion?  I don’t know the answer I know this, Joe Watkins to me, was what hard work, dedication to values and principals, devotion to his family and his wife, simplifying right and wrong into black and white and enjoying the energy and innocence of children and grandchildren is what drew me into Joe.

Joe was 91 or 92 when I first met him!  Can you believe, 91 years old and this is when I first met him?  And in 3 years of seeing him maybe 3-4 times a year, I grew to love him as though he was my own Grandfather!  Now that is Awesome.  I can clearly remember visiting Joe in his basement apartment in Traverse City last winter and playing a game of Gin Rummy with him.  It was the only time I played cards with Joe and I’m so proud to say I beat him that day, although it was just dumb luck.  He would tell you what was more impressive was the $1.00 he took from me that night at the Elks Club as I bet against the Michigan St. Spartans in the NCAA Tournament!  Oh the memories I have and in such a short time.

I’m very grateful for my time with Joe and so are my kids!  He was always interested in the kids and what they were up too.  He was always quick to ask, “What’s new?” and he would say to me, “Joe, you have a beautiful family”.  My response of course was “thank you”.  I just spoke to Joe on the phone from Jennifer’s this Thanksgiving.  As the phone was passed around to each family member, Jen handed the phone to me.  I took it feeling somewhat uncomfortable to take away from someone else’s time with Joe that afternoon but within minutes we were talking about the Lions game that day and how we wished he was able to make it to Detroit to be with his family.  I think Jen had to pry the phone away from me as we discussed so many little things.  Joe had a way to quickly make you feel at ease.  Oh, and he always asked about my parents.  Everytime I saw Joe or spoke to Joe on the phone he would ask, “How are you parents doing”?  Joe never was able to meet my parents and I’m very disappointed in that because he always asked me about them.  He told me once, he believed them to be great people because he said he thought very highly of me.  I’m proud of that and he was right, I have great parents.  I just wish he could have met them.

Oh and by the way, after watching everyone pass the phone around on Thanksgiving to wish Joe a Happy Thanksgiving, I picked up the phone that night and made sure I called my parents and did the same and then passed it on to Jen!  Thanks for that lesson.  Thankfulness was also part of Joe’s daily routine, at least that’s what I saw.  He always thought the best of most people.  He loved the waitresses at the Elks club and those in his building that just said, “hello”.  Appreciation of others is so valuable and Joe would let those around him know they were appreciated!

It’s amazing how life and then death impacts our minds and thoughts in different ways.  I feel I can write forever about Joe for only really seeing him a handful of times in my own lifetime.  But shouldn’t we measure a life by how much of a positive impact they can have in such a short time on others?  I believe the answer is simply YES.

So I want to say Thank You Joe Watkins.  It seems you lived the life you wanted.  It seems to me you achieved greatness.  It seems to me you brought joy into many lives, I can thank you for that.  It seems to me you valued God, your family, hard work and those who worked hard and earned lifes good things.  Joe, in the few times we met and the trust you put in me, I wish I would have been able to shake your hand one more time, hugged you one more time and said good bye just one more time.  Today I say, thank you Joe!  Hero’s are hard to come by but I look at you as just that and a life to be looked upon and cherished for all that was achieved.

Thanks Joe, I miss you already and so do so many others!  God Bless Joseph Watkins!