# So long, Red
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 7, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207 "2016-05-07T20:11:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/1 "2016-05-07T20:11:43Z")
That’s the nickname bestowed upon him by his mother, who refused to call her children by their given names when visiting them in the children’s home. Dad was “Red”, his brother was “Buddy”, sisters were “Pee Wee” and “Tommie”. He outlived them all.
Red was born in Racine, Wisconsin, on 20 August 1925. Shortly after 7 December 1941, Buddy enlisted in the Navy and served on an aircraft carrier. The following spring, seeing a way out of the children’s home, Red lied about his age and also joined the Navy.
His original station was Orange, Texas. I think while waiting for his first ship, a Destroyer Escort, to be completed. The DE ultimately sustained heavy damage from a kamikaze, after which Red was stationed on a troop ship responsible for shuttling Marines.
Red attended college on the GI Bill at the University of Wisconsin and then worked as a research chemist for Armour Pharmaceutical Company for 32 years. Armour’s owner sold the company in 1977, after which Red was transferred to another subsidiary in Tarrytown, NY, then let go a few years later when the new parent’s main product lines started losing money.
Rather than retire at 57, he landed a job in the New Orleans Veterans Administration Hospital, under a former Armour colleague. At 65, he accepted a one-year extension offered by the VA; he continued to accept one-year extensions until he turned 71.
Red died in his sleep on 17 April 2016; his wife of 63 years died in her sleep on 5 September 2010. With his family not known for longevity, and hers was, he’d been concerned that she would outlive him.
Surviving are his 10 children, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. I’m the tenth and never got to do the usual dad/son stuff with him like learn how to play catch or throw a punch. He did teach me to play cards: Blackjack, Gin Rummy, and Cribbage.
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### Author:  [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/2 "2016-05-07T20:39:24Z")
RIP Red
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### Author:  [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/3 "2016-05-07T22:04:19Z")
I’m sorry for your loss. Your summation of his life is lovely.
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### Author:  [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/4 "2016-05-07T22:54:38Z")
RIP. There are less and less of those who came of age in the Service in WW2.
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### Author:  [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2016, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/5 "2016-05-08T01:31:22Z")
My condolences, Skywatcher.
I know how it is being a child of older parents. They were more flexible in the mind than the body.
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### Author:  [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2016, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/6 "2016-05-08T01:33:39Z")
Very sorry for your loss.
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### Author:  [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2016, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/7 "2016-05-08T02:28:37Z")
What a wonderful tribute. I enjoyed reading it. I’m so sorry you lost him.
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### Author:  [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/8 "2016-05-09T15:39:19Z")
Condolences
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/9 "2016-05-10T19:24:25Z")
Red very nearly did go before Dawn. Heart attack at 54, spent a month in hospital.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/10 "2016-08-24T15:38:28Z")
Waiting for his estate to be settled. House was put on the market two weeks ago.
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### Author:  [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/11 "2016-08-24T15:48:36Z")
Great post and Eulogy.
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### Author:  [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/12 "2016-08-24T17:36:16Z")
RIP, Red. That was a beautiful write-up, Skywatcher.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [August 27, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/13 "2016-08-27T00:22:59Z")
I can’t take all the credit for the OP. The one my sister did for the Kankakee _Daily Journal_ served as its basis.
Well, now we know where he got the money for his new car. He sold the 10 gold Krugerrands that were supposed to be divided among his children.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/14 "2016-09-12T20:01:08Z")
Occurred to me to take a good look at his death certificate (just arrived a couple weeks ago in a box of old photos). His heart finally gave out.
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### Author:  [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2016, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/15 "2016-09-12T21:16:02Z")
I’m glad he got out of the children’s home. It must have been really bad to have made the military seem like a preferable alternative.
Rip, Red, it sounds as if you raised a good family.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/16 "2016-09-21T17:32:15Z")
My tenth of his life insurance arrived yesterday. Wasn’t even aware he had a policy until I received a notice to fill out a form and return the form to the issuer.
Probably will be a long while until the house sells. The market there isn’t all that great and the place is still very much as it was 30 years ago when it went up.
> [@Baker](#):
>
> I’m glad he got out of the children’s home. It must have been really bad to have made the military seem like a preferable alternative.
A decade or so ago, he sent me a copy of his file from the place. The place itself didn’t sound that bad but his prospects were very limited.
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### Author:  [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/17 "2016-09-21T17:41:26Z")
RIP Red and my belated condolences to you, **skywatcher**.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2020, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-long-red/754207/18 "2020-05-16T16:27:21Z")
Dad left one last surprise for us. His VA life insurance policy was being distributed into a trust fund in the name of his ladyfriend, who passed recently. She didn’t live long enough for the fund to reach maturity but all his children received a nice check, a bit more than the IRS has been giving out.