"Come on Kid"

Willard's "Celebration of Life" service was held this morning at The Great Plains Community Church with Rev. Galen Skinner Officiating. It was a very appropriate service that recognized Willard's honesty, love of God and Family, and his life as a Farmer. Rev. Skinner read a poem by Eleanor Lynn Culver as part of the Service which was reflective of Willard. The final verse was:

"I think a man who loves the soil

Finds happiness in rich supply,

Though toil he must to earn his bread

He reaps much more than wheat and rye,

For with each little grain or pod

He cultivates a faith in God"

After the Service, we enjoyed lunch at the Goehner Fire Hall. It was an opportunity to visit with family and friends and share our memories. I had played baseball among doing many other things with Willard and was asked, "What position did he play?". He was versatile enough to have played anywhere but his normal position was 2nd base. This picture (and our faces don't show very well) was taken in the latter '40's. He is kneeling, 2nd from the right. (I am standing in the back row peeking around the big guy in the middle). I believe Carl Bock was managing the team when the picture was taken but Willard managed it for a few years following. During his tenure as Manager, he came up with the signal, "Come on kid" for the batter to bunt and have a "suicide steal" when a runner was on 3rd. We had fun with it because it usually worked and Willard was even called, "Come on kid" occasionally..