My Seabee Friend, John Waltner

Attention on deck !

Here is a photo of John Waltner and former wife Charlie (Charlotte) at their daughter's wedding in Jersey, 2012. They still look good together, don't they?

We met at Naval Air Station South Weymouth in 1967. He was a Seabee Equipment operator -- bulldozers, graders, tractor trailers, ETC.  He was in our wedding party that same year.

John was and still is known as JoJo to his friends in Joisey. Once upon a time, a long long time ago, JoJo and his fadder was walking down the street and Jo Jo said, "Hey Dad, listen to the boid." His fadder says, "It ain't no boid, it's a bird."

Jo Jo said, "It sure choips like a boid."

John & Charlie took good care of us when we ran the NYC Marathon twice -- 1978 and 1981. They announced their first pregnancy to Sandy and I in a Soho restaurant in NYC. It was an Italian restaurant where the maitre-de hugged everyone. Do you remember?

John & Charlie in the 1970s.

John & Frank Sinatra are both from Hoboken originally. John did two tours in Vietnam. And then he was married a long long time.

If you need support with ANYTHING, John is always there. Actually that seems to be a trait of all Navy Seabees. My first true friends were Seabees.

Sandy took both photos. The first one is at the Green's Harbor jetty in Marshfield. My guess is that it was taken in the seventies. Time flies.

Speaking of ..... I do not want a long church Mass or a wooden box or even an urn, but I would like to have my family presented with the Colors and a salute or two. No guns. It will scare the squirrels. I want it as an open house here at 110 where all the parties were. But I am not ready quite yet. Dress blues would seem appropriate. I would ALSO like it if Leonard Cohen makes an appearance. "Hallelujah" would be my first choice for him to sing. If Julie Christianson could back him up, all the better. I know it would be asking way too much for his Greek mandolin player to show. HEY! I don't ask for much, and this will be my very last party.

Maybe you could hire a professional mourner like Johnny Pescucci from the North End and he could cry his eyes out at my service.

In the sixties, he used to do it for five dollars. He probably gets more now. But I know that John Waltner will be there.

Thanks again for tuning in.