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Pops was amazingly supportive of our
wedding right from the beginning. When we
were trying to track down Brian's baptismal
certificate, the local priest we were working
with suggested that Brian's parents' Best
Man and Maid of Honor might be contacted to
see if they had been around for the baptism.
He said their names would be on the
marriage certificate, which would be at the
church where Tom & Patricia Gleason got
married.
Brian found the right church and called Pops
to run that idea by him and see if it rang any
bells. Later that morning, Brian called the
church and started to explain who he was
and what he was looking for. The secretary
interrupted him and said that she knew all
about it because Tom Gleason was there
already. No, Brian told her, you don't
understand, he's not there, but he was
married there 45 years ago. Then the
secretary repeated that she had just talked to
Tom about it, and Brian tried to set her
straight, and after five minutes of wacky
cross-purpose dialogue out of some
seventies sitcom, the secretary put Pops on
the phone to talk to Brian.
Apparently, after Brian had spoken with him
earlier that day, Pops, undaunted by the
weather and missing one leg, loaded up his
scooter in his car and drove over to the
church where he got married to see if he
could help his son track down his baptismal
certificate, and had already made the
secretary his best friend before we had even
called the church. That's who Pops was.
wedding right from the beginning. When we
were trying to track down Brian's baptismal
certificate, the local priest we were working
with suggested that Brian's parents' Best
Man and Maid of Honor might be contacted to
see if they had been around for the baptism.
He said their names would be on the
marriage certificate, which would be at the
church where Tom & Patricia Gleason got
married.
Brian found the right church and called Pops
to run that idea by him and see if it rang any
bells. Later that morning, Brian called the
church and started to explain who he was
and what he was looking for. The secretary
interrupted him and said that she knew all
about it because Tom Gleason was there
already. No, Brian told her, you don't
understand, he's not there, but he was
married there 45 years ago. Then the
secretary repeated that she had just talked to
Tom about it, and Brian tried to set her
straight, and after five minutes of wacky
cross-purpose dialogue out of some
seventies sitcom, the secretary put Pops on
the phone to talk to Brian.
Apparently, after Brian had spoken with him
earlier that day, Pops, undaunted by the
weather and missing one leg, loaded up his
scooter in his car and drove over to the
church where he got married to see if he
could help his son track down his baptismal
certificate, and had already made the
secretary his best friend before we had even
called the church. That's who Pops was.
Our memories of our wedding and honeymoon will
always be tinged by the sadness of losing Pops so
soon after it all.
We were thrilled that Pops made it to the wedding and
had such a good time. It meant a lot to us, especially
since he was the only living parent that we had.
always be tinged by the sadness of losing Pops so
soon after it all.
We were thrilled that Pops made it to the wedding and
had such a good time. It meant a lot to us, especially
since he was the only living parent that we had.
Pops and his brother Bobby drove over 500
miles to our wedding in Pittsburgh - only
getting lost on the very last leg of the trip,
missing an exit and taking a two-hour scenic
route through the labyrinthian South Hills of
Pittsburgh. But they got there. And of course,
Pops was the hit of the party.
When he wasn't dancing with a posse of
adoring women, or entertaining our friends
with scandalous stories and jokes, he was
giving all the kids at the reception rides on
his scooter.
miles to our wedding in Pittsburgh - only
getting lost on the very last leg of the trip,
missing an exit and taking a two-hour scenic
route through the labyrinthian South Hills of
Pittsburgh. But they got there. And of course,
Pops was the hit of the party.
When he wasn't dancing with a posse of
adoring women, or entertaining our friends
with scandalous stories and jokes, he was
giving all the kids at the reception rides on
his scooter.
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Remembering Pops |
Pops, cutting a rug at the reception with our
friends Kathy and Sandy.
friends Kathy and Sandy.
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