Rick Foss:
CLASS OF 1960
South Dade High SchoolClass of 1960
Homestead, FL
Rick's Story
Oh boy! How do you tell your life story in 20,050 characters? Hmmmn . . .
Tried two colleges after graduation. Guess it wasn't meant to be.
Spent 4 years in the Air Force from '62 to '66. Worked as an electronics tech on the F-105. Managed to spend most of it in Las Vegas at Nellis AFB rather than Viet Nam. Definately a good thing.
Discharged and tried college again. Unfortunately I got married at the same time and did not do too well at either.
What I finally learned is that I am a generalist and not a specialist. I've always envied those that knew they wanted to be an accountant, lawyer or whatever. Not me.
I managed a number of Lindsley Lumber stores. You may remember them. Homestead, Key West, 7th Ave, Bird Road, etc.
Went from there to construction lending. Got married for the third time (embarassed) which finally stuck. Been married for 33 years and she is still willing to keep me around.
We have two boys. His and hers. Seven grand children. Six boys and 1 girl.
One son lives here in SC and the other lives in S. Fla.
I owned my own graphic design business for 13 years. Now I do bookkeeping and manage a buying group for eye doctors in SC.
See what I mean. Generalist! LOL
Anyway we currently are trailer trash living in our own (not so) mobile home on 5.5 acres within the Francis Marion National Forest.
We have a small shallow pond with a small number of bass and panfish. The wife has not named them yet but it is probably because they all look alike.
We have had a number of wild friends over the years.
Picked up a large turtle on the road and brought her home. She would come to the side of the pond and take bread from my fingers. (Yes, I still have them all.)
For the past several years we have had a pair of foxes that visit us for dinner 4-5 times a week.
I started trying to get close to her while she was eating. Next thing you know she was found sleeping in a rocker on the porch at night waiting for her trained humans to make with the food.
Last night my wife was sitting on the porch having a smoke and the fox came up and sat on the landing. We felt bad when I screened the porch last spring but I guess she forgave me even though she can't get to her rocker anymore.
Still 17,788 characters and I'm done. Who woulda thunk it.
Youall have fun. Now it's someone else's turn.
Update: May5, 2010
My father passed away on Jan. 29th. He fell and broke his hip in three places and after the operation it was a downhill ride. He was 83.
I wanted to tell you about his funeral.
After we came here to South Carolina he presided over the establishment of the Shulerville-Honey Hill Rural Fire Department. He then became the Cheif for 15-20 years and finally retired from this volunteer position 5-6 years ago.
When discussing his funeral arrangements with a family freind I was asked what the fire department was doing. Dunno I said. What should t...Expand for more
hey do? So I asked a local chief and darn near got runover by the response.
Here is a recap of the actual funeral.
My son, my father's freind and I drove to the funeral home in my father's personal vehicle that he had used as cheif.
On the way in we were passed by two ladder trucks heading in the other direction. We all laughed and wondered if they were lost. (Remember these trucks.)
I was overwhelmned when we got there. The street was blocked off and 4 or five fire trucks from other stations were in the center of the road. There were chiefs from a number of different stations also.
We were placed behind the first fire truck. This was a truck from his station which was decked out with black bunting. His casket was carried from the funeral home and placed in the back of this truck for the 16 mile ride to the cemetary. In the back he was not alone but was accompanied by two firemen who rode the whole way in the 40 degree weather.
We left the funeral home accompanied by all of the trucks, EMD units, Fire Chiefs and ploice. All with sirens and lights going.
We rode through the town of Moncks Corner and headed into the countryside on US Highway 17a which is a two lane road. All along the way cars actually pulled to the side of the road to let the procession pass.
At one point some workers installing a new roof stopped their work and stood quietly as we passed. As we passed some road workers they stopped work also and one placed his hard hat over his heart.
Finally we made the final turn onto Shulerville Road and drove by the mobile home that he and my mother had lived in for 30 years and where he had tended her, bedridden with parkinsons for over 5 years.
We rounded a corner just before the cemetary and there were the two "lost" ladder trucks. One on each side of the road with their ladders extended crossing over the road and a huge American Flag hanging over the road for the whole procession to drive under.
At the cemetary the pall bearers made up of firemen from the area carried him to the gravesite.
At the end of the service the radios in all the fire trucks came alive with the county dispatcher calling Chief Bob Foss. When she received no answer she said that this was the "last call for Chief Bob Foss who is now making the streets of heaven safe."
Then a bagpiper played amazing grace. I was in tears by then and I am again in the telling.
If you or a loved one gives of their time, either paid or volunteer, I salute you!
For the rest of us, if you ever get the opportunity to attend a funeral like this do not miss it! You will have memories for a lifetime.
This is a happy story not a sad one and I hope that those of you who read it enjoy it and take a moment to think of my dad and anyone you may know that is a fire fighter, police officer or member of the military.
THANK YOU ALL!
ps: I added three pics of the funeral and one of my dad.
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