Leonard Gokey

Tim - What a great memory of Grandpa! Thanks so much for sharing ~ I check this page everyday - somehow just seeing his face on these pictures makes me feel a little better. I agree this is the worst hurt that I have yet experienced in my life.

Well I am sure that everyone has some memory of Dad to help them put a smile on their face. I have so many memories of Dad to help me smile and get through another day of not having him here.

One in particular is not such a pleasant memory though.  It is the memory that I have of Dad and I having to go to court for a speeding ticket that I had recieved. I was in my senior year and we had an open campus.  Well I had two free classes back to back so I and some friends decided to go to Chateuagay and be back before the next class bell.  Well running really close on time I figured if I drive a little faster  I can make it back .....WRONG !  So Dad and I are going to see Judge Clare Taro

Dad says hes an old friend of his.  After a lenghty stern lecture on the dangers of speeding and the Do's and Don'ts of driving,  Judge Taro  says " Well Tim I have known your Dad for a number of years and after consideration of that I have decided to let you off with a warning and a 6 month conditional discharge."  As Judge Taro reached across the desk to hand me my license back Dad spoke up and said " Clare what do you think of holding his license here and in 6 months he can return to see you and pick up his license then, after he has learned a lesson."  Judge Taro stopped midstream from his motion to hand me back my license and replied " Well ,Yes  ,if you think that is best we can do that Len "  All the way home all I could think to myself is  only if Dad would have kept his mouth shut  I would be coming home with my license "    After time had passed and 6 months went by I return to get my license.  Judge Taro opened the drawer of his desk and there from an envelope he retrieved my license and handed it back to me with these words " You know young man,  I know you did not like to hear your Father ask me to hold on to your license for this amount of time ,but he did that to insure that you learn a lesson , You are very Fortunate to

have the Dad that  you do "   Looking back now it seems so clear that Dad had no intention of this being a punishment , but a lesson on how easy it is for us to loose the things we take for granite. Today I do realize how fortunate I was to have the Dad I did.

Okay....here is another favorite memory with Grandpa....Patty and I were sitting outside talking with grandpa and grandma. Grandpa and grandma were on once glider facing the road, and Patty and I were on another facing the opposite way. Grandpa speaks up and says...."Oh my god, I can't beleive it, I can't beleive that allow that in a residential area... At first we thought some one might be doing some sort of illegal activity....NOPE!!!! It was just a couple of neighbors walking down the road that Grandpa wasn't too fond of!!! Patty and I cracked up laughing....I actually still do when ever I think about that memory!!!

My favorite memory was sitting outside at night with grandma and grandpa and the rest of the family in the screen house. We would be listening to the beach boys and to grandpa talk about taxes. That was always so much fun in the summer. I miss those days tremendously and wish I could get them back. Grandpa was always so good to all of us and made sure we were always well fed. lol.  In so many ways he has touched my life and the lives of my children. He will never be forgotten.

Franny~ I love that story. Thanks for sharing it with us!