RIP Charley

Just for the record, I had a splendid birthday with wonderful presents (I can get my complete Beatle on), a lovely lunch with my husband and dinner with my husband and daughter, and I saw 9 which was not what I expected but I did enjoy it. Think of it as an animated art film. It is an expansion on a short film by Shane Acker also called “9”. I was still thinking about it this morning which shows that it stayed with me.

The only thing that marred the day was the news that Charley had died. Charley was a fixture at the bowling alley. He had participated in various leagues for longer than most folks could remember. He was always there and always willing to play a game.

I met Charley through Peter. He was on one of Peter’s various teams. He had a quiet sense of humor and a great love for his family. He was a proud Navy man and was a vet of both WW II and the Korean conflict. He loved to sail and he and his wife took cruises when they could all over the world. He was the salt of the earth in all its many meanings.

I bowled with Charley on a couple of summer leagues over the years. Last year I joined Charley, Peter and Frank for a mixed league. I had a lot of fun and got to know Charley and his family better that year. Late in the season, Charley had to drop out due to the Chemo treatments he was taking for skin cancer. He just felt too tired to bowl and didn’t want to pull down the team. Charley knew he was an all or nothing bowler later in his career. There were nights he was brilliant and he could get the ball to do everything he wanted it to and there were nights that nothing quite went right. So he held a middle of the road average and we could tell which Charley we were getting pretty fast.

Yesterday Peter found the information about his wake and funeral on a table at the bowling alley. It was a lung infection that did Charley in. The bowling alley won’t be the same without him.

I am grateful that I bowled with Charley.

RIP Charley

Just for the record, I had a splendid birthday with wonderful presents (I can get my complete Beatle on), a lovely lunch with my husband and dinner with my husband and daughter, and I saw 9 which was not what I expected but I did enjoy it. Think of it as an animated art film. It is an expansion on a short film by Shane Acker also called “9”. I was still thinking about it this morning which shows that it stayed with me.

The only thing that marred the day was the news that Charley had died. Charley was a fixture at the bowling alley. He had participated in various leagues for longer than most folks could remember. He was always there and always willing to play a game.

I met Charley through Peter. He was on one of Peter’s various teams. He had a quiet sense of humor and a great love for his family. He was a proud Navy man and was a vet of both WW II and the Korean conflict. He loved to sail and he and his wife took cruises when they could all over the world. He was the salt of the earth in all its many meanings.

I bowled with Charley on a couple of summer leagues over the years. Last year I joined Charley, Peter and Frank for a mixed league. I had a lot of fun and got to know Charley and his family better that year. Late in the season, Charley had to drop out due to the Chemo treatments he was taking for skin cancer. He just felt too tired to bowl and didn’t want to pull down the team. Charley knew he was an all or nothing bowler later in his career. There were nights he was brilliant and he could get the ball to do everything he wanted it to and there were nights that nothing quite went right. So he held a middle of the road average and we could tell which Charley we were getting pretty fast.

Yesterday Peter found the information about his wake and funeral on a table at the bowling alley. It was a lung infection that did Charley in. The bowling alley won’t be the same without him.

I am grateful that I bowled with Charley.