Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Paul Springman, an appreciation

Paul Springman went to sleep Sunday night and woke up in a much, much better place. Hopefully, he's sitting at the bar in the ultimate K of C council, drinking his third or fourth stein of Stroh's and taking pride in what and who he left behind.
The lapsednewsguy owes his grandpa a lot, which is sort of surprising considering that we couldn't have been more different. I run my mouth about everything, while my grandpa (whom I always called Hans for some reason) usually held his tongue unless it was really, really, really important. He endured the Great Depression and the slaughter of World War II in the Pacific and was grateful for the chance to raise his family and have a home. I still seethe because my boss fucked me out of a raise eight years ago.
He came home from the Pacific and worked for his pop at the family grocery store as a meat cutter. When Pop died in the early 50s, the grocery store succumbed to supermarkets, the suburban exodus and more than a few unpaid accounts receivable. Hans moved on to plumbing. He bartended on the side, too. By the he was 40, he had seven kids and a wife at home. He never laid in bed with a cold and often nodded off as he untied his boots after a long day on the job.
I can honestly say that the only mean words I ever heard from him came when he and Grandma fought (which wasn't rare and never amounted to much) and when I would get in a hurry on a jobsite and cut a piece of PVC too short.
He was a guy whose respect you treasured, not because his standards were high but because he did things the right way...no matter how long it took. One of the great honors of my life came on my graduation day from IU, when he braved the steep home stands of Memorial Stadium to watch me get my bachelor's degree...about three weeks before he finally got the hip replacement he had been putting off for a decade.
Alzheimers took his mind and spirit away and, to be honest, I grieved that loss years ago and was glad to hear yesterday that his body finally followed along.
Hans wasn't perfect; no man is. I could probably come up with a list of his faults if I thought about it, but they would pale in the his totality. Anyone who knew Hans was better for it, me very much included.
Rest in peace, Hans.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

While I may be diametrically (sp) opposed to your political ideaology I am sorry to hear about the passing of your granddad.

Sounds like he was a hell of a man! His service to his country so that guys like you and I can passionately and vocally disparage that with which we disagree will not be forgotten!

Thank you Mr. Springman for your service to this nation. Thank you for being an example to the American Dream. Godspeed to you sir!aryisapp

lapsednewsguy said...

That's nice of you to say, I guess. My step-thug was able to pay his respects without fighting anyone...how about that?
Spare you platitudes. My grandpa had no more use for ignorant clowns than I do.

Anonymous said...

Apparantly I am not the only poster on this blog. I don't know you or your step child. I read the post and watched the video but I don't know your stepson from Adam. Let alone where to acquire videos of him engaging in tomfoolery, and even if I did I would never take a cheap shot at a mans family. If I have a problem with you newsguy, I will bring it straight to you, no need to involve your kid. I linked to this site by coincidence. I enjoy butting heads with lefties. I don't post videos of kids doing dumb shit and gloat about it.

Doesn't strike me that an individual of a level low enough to attack a kid is going to turn around and offer condolensces on your granddad.

Why I'm an ignorant clown because I made some respectful comments about a man I never meet I do not know. Must be that anyone who holds a different world view than you is an automatic clown.

I do wonder though, the way you described the man, if he might view you as an ignorant clown. I have a feeling his belief system was probably a lot closer to mine than to yours. Whatever though, I will not be visiting here again. I realize people like you have no interest in any point of view other than their own.
aryi sapp

lapsednewsguy said...

Aryi,
thank you for putting your name on the post. That alone tells me that you have the courage of your convictions and that my response was inappropriate.
There is another anonymous here who criticized an earlier post. I replied to the criticism, reasonably I thought, and his or her only retort was to take a shot at my son.
Couple that with my recent loss and I got a bit cranky.
I do apologize.

Anonymous said...

Newsguy,

I couldn't resist coming back to see if you had replied to my comment. Apology accepted! It shows me a lot about your character. I expected a good riddance or eff off. I too offer an apology: It was in bad taste for me to suggest your grandpa would be more aligned to my views than yours considering I have zero evidence that would be the case.

So let us start anew, that is if you do not mind me adding this site to my regular stops. However, I would not want to be an intrusive guest if my respectful and polite commentary is not welcome here.

I enjoy sparring with common sense liberals about the issues of the day. I also have been known to go a few rounds with my conservative friends who have slipped into a state of right wing nuttiness. It is my belief that one of the most unfortunate things about our society today is the fact that by and large we have become a people who can not argue positions passionately without the combatants slipping into an elementary school mentality of name calling and taunts and a difference of opinion creating disdain toward one another. IMO both sides are equally to blame! We must as a nation restore civility and respect to the national discourse.

I must now begin my daily trek into the city. Peace be upon you sir.

lapsednewsguy said...

I think the great plague isn't swine flu, but the great allergy we've developed in this country to hearing and accepting the word 'no.'
Too many people, the teabaggers very much included, can't bear the idea of someone not agreeing with them, so they get louder and more crass.
I would buy into the whole teabag/Beck thing more if these folks had been so worried about deficit spending before a young, kinda liberal black guy became president.
I've been a newsguy for a lot of years and I've learned that the phrase "I know that for a fact" usually means "you've dismantled my argument and I'm going to resort to lying because I can't bring myself to concede the point."
I appreciate your graciousness, ary.