Today is the birthday of one of my best friends, Dan Watson. Dan was a good husband, an Air Force vet, and one the best people ever to have at your back. This past June was five years since Dan left us and today would have been his 67th birthday. I still “share” at least one Gentleman Jack with Dan every Friday night to continue the tradition we started …show more content…
Between his experiences in Viet Nam and life in general, Gary wasn’t always dealt the best hand. But he was always ready to fight back and take on life as well as any of us can.
Gary was always searching for that “next big thing.” When a comic book about Viet Nam came out in the 80’s, Gary purchased multiple copies of all editions to save and eventually sell to collectors. I’m not sure if they were ever sold off. He had a habit of collecting things with thoughts of investment that didn’t always pan out. He was also an inveterate poet and bumper sticker slogan writer. I don’t know how many slogans I received over the years with Gary proclaiming, “This is the one!” The one he could sell and make some “real money” as he would say.
Though estranged from his son when I first met him, they did reconcile somewhat in later years. Gary was very proud of his son’s accomplishments as a successful businessman and his daughter-in-law, who is becoming a pediatric doctor. When we last spoke, he was also excited about his new granddaughter who has now been joined by a grandson. Gary also spoke often about the “women in his life,” his wife and granddaughter, and how much they meant to him. And, of course, there were The Dogs, the dachshunds that he and his wife