OT - in loving memory

..

[John Sabato]

What a wonderful tribute Tac... my paternal grandfather passed one week before my 11th birthday in 1958... a giant of a man who stood only 5 feet tall... a coal mining engineer who never went to school a day in his life... I had the unbelievable good fortune to live with him and my grandmother in our home... He carried a gun most of his life to protect his family from the evils of society... sent three sons off to WW2 and pulled out his hair with worry, but God blessed him by returning all three alive... and only one was wounded (my Dad). He received the quiet fear and respect of even the mafia in Philadelphia where I was raised... because he would not join them... because he would take no part in the illegal behavior, he was often called upon as consigliori (counselor) to those who did to resolve disputes between them for which he received no compensation, only the respect due an honest man... he was known as "Don Fillippo" in his time... I regret that my children were never to know him except throught my memories of him. Every first born son in his family was named after him... including my older brother Phillip, who died as an infant the year before my birth... A kinder gentler soul I never knew as a child... but then I would never have wanted to see the result of his anger... I have a feeling it would have been catastrophic for the object of it...

Thanks for sharing Tac my old friend...

[Luke]

Touching story TAC . . . .

Thank you for sharing.

Luke

[Edward Tinker]

Tac, very nice,


Ed

[Parabellus]

There seem to be two remarkable kinds of people here:
the kind of person who inspires such thoughts
and the kind of person who carries such thoughts throughout one's life.

[shadow]

Tac and John very touching.

John, I grew up in Philly too. I could be wrong but I am guessing that you were either a Burr or a Saint.

If you were a Burr I will probably see you on the beach in Wildwood one of these years.

Chris

[thegundude]

That's a wonderful story Tac. Thanks for sharing...

I never knew either of my grandfathers, though I'm told they were both exceptional men. Surely, I don't know what I'm missing...

[John Sabato]

...That would be South Philly Chris... Neumann class of 65...and say it reverently... much has changed there, and I don't have any desire to visit except I had to be there last weekend, I am not a beach kind of guy... just visiting my dear Dad who needed some electrical work done...

[shadow]

John

As you know the Saints are the Saint John Newmann football team. So I guessed right. I hope you don't think that I used term Saint in an irreverent way. If so, it was not intended and I apologize.

I was raised in South West Philly and went to West Catholic High School for Boys, class of 83, which would make me a Burr. I donâ??t go to the beach either but my alumni association has a "burrs on the beach" reunion every year about 15 miles from my house.

My old neighborhood has changed dramatically, everybody I knew there moved out, so I donâ??t go back anymore either. The cheese steaks are still good if you know where to go.

Anyway that is enough talking about Philly, back to grandfathers.

I moved down the shore when I graduated from West and lived with my grandparents for a couple years. I didn't know many people down here at first so I wound up spending allot of time with my grandfather. He was a retired Machinist who also did gunsmithing on the side. He had arms of steel right up to his last years, probably from working with his hands all of his life. We used to go shooting together about 4 nights a week at a local indoor range that has since closed. He died of cancer about 10 years ago.

Near the end when he knew he didn't have much time left, he asked to go shooting one last time. My father and I brought every gun we owned and let him decide what he wanted to shoot in spite of the fact that it was drizzling. We didn't let the drizzle cancel the day because we knew there was not much time left. His eyes were shot from macular degeneration so he could barley see the target but he enjoyed the day of shooting none the less. My Colt Frontier Scout lost a spot of bluing off of the left side of the barrel that day. Every time I see that spot I think of my grandfather and smile. Funny when you are in your twenties you donâ??t realize how powerful these memories are, but when you get older they help you to remember what is important and what is not.





Tomorrow I plan on going shooting with my father who will be surprised with the Model 1100 shotgun that he is getting for fathers day.


Chris

[John Sabato]

Chris, thanks for the story on your GrandDad... and I am glad you can enjoy shooting with your Dad... At 88, my Dad is too frail and can't see, and he never enjoyed firearms after returning from several years as an infantryman in WW2... he only tolerated my interest as I grew up...