An Ode To Stanley!

I thought I'd share my adventures of my trip across the state yesterday. I had some parts to drop off in Fort Myers, and some errands to run, which brought me by my old marina. I thought I'd stop in and catch up on some of the scuttlebutt as I've been negligent about keeping current, for one reason or another. Upon my arrival I could see things had changed, and much to my dismay Stanley's Bait and Tackle was closed. Stanley's was a little business inside the marina compound, a place we all used to go stop in at to share our stories and camaraderie. It was like Mom's kitchen, everyone just gravitated there. While it wasn't uncommon for Stanley's to be closed because he often did that when he ran errands, it looked abandoned, and that was disturbing. Like going back to your hometown and finding out they tore down the family homestead. Not to be denied I ventured to the next marina down to get the skinny only to find out my buddy Rick, wasn't in either and his crew was all new and clueless. Time for me to begin some serious investigation, as I needed information and was not going to be denied. So I headed a little more south to Capt. Cain's Marina and low and behold I found some friendly faces! I have to tell you it was a bit of relief, I was feeling like Rip Van Winkle there for a moment. The guys were a fountain of information and soon it was like I had never left. The bad news was Stanley is in Hospice, cancer is about to take him from us. Yesterday was his 78th birthday, and he isn't going to live to see his 79th.

Well I needed to tell my friend goodbye, so I set off to find Hospice, and let Stanley know I cared. Stanley is quite a story, in fact the newspaper sent a reporter down to interview him for a business piece, and ended up doing a whole Sunday section on his life a few years ago. Stanley is an immigrant from Croatia, who as a child tried to escape the tyranny there three times, only to fail and be thrown in jail for his efforts. He finally was successful escaping over the mountains, not unlike the Sound of Music story. His efforts found him jailed once again in Cuba, sidetracked from his ultimate goal of freedom. He eventually entered the United States and became a citizen, securing a job at Penn reels, where he worked for 25 years and retired.

Retirement for Stanley consisted of moving to Florida and opening a tackle shop, using the repair skills he learned at Penn to fill his financial needs. Stanley is a true craftsman and a jack of all trades building custom rods and having the patience and skill to put all those pesky little springs and clips back inside a fishing reel in the correct order. Something I'll never have either the patience for nor the dexterity for. If you ever needed anything fixed, Stanley is the man!

Stanley wasn't married, but he has a heart of gold. People used to abandon cat after cat at the marina, I guess they figured the scraps from the fillet tables would keep them satisfied. Stanley adopted each and everyone of them, he took them to be spayed or neutered at the clinic, and made sure they were loved and fed. Whenever a pelican or bird was injured it instinctively knew to seek out our marina. Stanley would capture it and take it to the Wildlife Rehab center, closing his business, to insure every animal's welfare. There will be a place in heaven for a soul who cared so much for God's creatures, I pray his journey is a peaceful one........

I did locate Hospice and got to visit Stanley. He's incoherent, and in the final stage of his journey, a peaceful coma. His shallow breathing reminded me of my father's final day, every breath seemingly a struggle. They have a nicotine patch on him, I guess even as cancer does it's final deed, the urge to smoke the poison that invited his demise is still overwhelming. Although he lived a solitary life he is surrounded by pictures and cards left by people he has touched. Stanley has many friends, a group I'm proud to be a part of.

It's hard to write this piece. Temptation to use "was" instead of "is" haunts every sentence. It's even harder to stop writing, because it'll close a chapter in my life, and worse yet put a finality on Stanley's contribution to all that loved him. My Dad left me some wisdom I need to apply here, "grief is a selfish emotion." Stanley's pain will soon be over, and ours will just begin, it's never easy to say goodbye. God speed Stanley, and may your journey to the other side be a peaceful one. Thank you for touching our lives........

God Bless
Capt. Bill