Here I am – closer to 80 than 70!

My life has had its share of ups and downs.

Early childhood growing up in a little town where everyone knew your name (AND PARENTS)!

Roller skating – riding my bike!

Playing kick the can –

Being home when the street lights came on!

Sneaking corn silk in a corn cob pipe!

Apple trees providing ammunition for passing rail cars full of coal!

Neighborhood kids – playing tackle football at the park!

Yes – I had a good early life!

Senior year – played the first game of football and then was in a car accident.

It was the year that “NAM” was on everyone’s mind.

1966!

I spent 51 days in the hospital – 41 days with a catheter.

I did not know if I would ever walk again.

My girlfriend was pregnant- I was married at 17 in a wheelchair!

In the living room of my parents’ home.

My first son was born in January of 1967!

I was learning to walk again.

Months went by – a wheelchair turned to crutches.

I was reclassified for the draft-

Married, child, and unable to pass the physical.

I was young, growing up fast!

I had to graduate, find a job to support my family, and there was no college option.

Meanwhile, I had a cane.

I managed to walk for graduation.

One week later, I was hired at the American Olean Tile company!

They took a chance on me –

Mainly because my wife’s mother worked there!

They hired me for the summer.

I had a family!

NAM was no longer a worry, but surviving was.

At the close of summer –

I lived just down the street from this museum!

They decided to keep me on and put me on second shift!

I would get ten hours of overtime every week!

My father, who was part-owner of the Western Auto –

Had retired from the South Penn Oil Company-

Managed to get me an apartment over the store to rent.

We moved from their home in September to the apartment and lived there for five years!

About six months before the ’72 flood –

We bought a church and parsonage!

The Methodist church on North Main Street in Eldred,Pa.

Just a stones throw from where I grew up!

In December of ’71 –

My second son was born –

We had moved into the house and had started converting the church into apartments.

My father had passed away in 1969 from cancer-

My mother was raising my younger brother –

And in June of 1972 –

Hurrican Agnes –

The main street was flooded with 12 to 15 feet of water –

The apartment where we had been living –

Well – it was a mass of flood waters in front and only way in or out was by boat!

We had ducked a bullet.

We worked tirelessly helping those in need.

We had to get baby formula by helicopter flown in until that was impossble!

I never went back to work for three or four weeks.

But – after the darkness –

We saw the light –

We survived.

Two sons – one five and the other about seven months,

Life was going on –

And was about to go on first shift after six and one half years on second!

Life went on –

But the marriage didn’t.

We sperated and divorced.

The boys were 13 and 9!

I continued to work for AOTC –

For a total of 47 1/2 years.

I found and married my current wife Sherry –

On 6-25-1982!

She had been married before and had two daughters.

I was their step day but they were like daughters to me.

They were younger than my two sons –

We had a family of four –

But the boys lived with their mother and the girls lived with us.

Sherry also worked for AOTC and retired with 32 years!

The Comapny later became –

DAL-TILE and Ameiracn Olean Tile Company –

Owned when we retired by Mohawk!

We had a combined 79 1/2 years of service.

We raised the children and we bought and built a combination of six houses!

Cindy – Dottie – Sherry – Buck and Jimmy –

Dottie and Jimmy have been my dear friends before I met Sherry.

Buck and Cindy knew them and were our neighbors while we lived at –

Pleasant Acres Drive in Portville, N.Y.

Dottie from whe I knew Jimmy and her –

And I attended their wedding.

On our journey through life –

Twenty years ago –

We started a health and nutrition business on line.

To this day-

We still run this business that provides us with additional income in retirement.

If this interests you –

You can contact us through this website –

https://sfitzsimmons.juiceplus.com

It is $50.00 a year to have your own business –

Your own website and all you do is send the orders in or they do it themselves over the website!

They process the order – Bill it – collect it and ship it!

Monthly you get a paid commission –

And they direct deposit it into your account!

And you help people to get a healthy nutrition of –

FRUITS – VEGETABLES – BERRIES and OMEGAS!

The GOOD WITCH and the OLD MAN!

I hope this gives some insight into my life.

It has had ups and downs-

But –

I have lived a good life.

I am happy,

And all the good and bad has given to me,

That life I have lived!

The life we have had –

Plus the friends and their daughters and Sherry’s daughters!

Thanks for reading –

PAPA’S WORLD –

My site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog

SUBSCRIBE – IT IS FREE!