Saturday, December 9, 2017

Happy Birthday Chuck!

It's hard to believe I have been friends with Chuck for over 20 years.  Technically, I met him about 35 years ago, but that's another story.
When Chuck re-entered my life by joining Lerner Newspapers, he had a (long suffering) wife (that's a long-running joke) and three teenage daughters.  Now, he has the same (longer suffering) wife and three grown daughters, 3 son-in-laws and 5 beautiful grandchildren.  Throughout it all, Chuck has remained basically the same great guy.
He's got a quick, sharp wit, which he will unleash on you in a split second, but he is also one of the nicest people on this planet.  He's one of the funniest people I know, but in a subtle sort of way usually.
How do you tell someone that they have been a great addition to your life?  How do you thank that person for being a friend, mentor, brother, advisor (occasional tormentor) and more?  Knowing Chuck has made me a better person (and as he would say, I needed some bettering).  If there was a Hall of Fame for friends, Chuck would be a first ballot selection.
Happy birthday, buddy!  I hope it is a great day!
Chuck Gekas, Anthony Gattuso and me in Evanston, IL-September 2017.

3 comments:

Jean Parker said...

Happy belated birthday to Chuck..... hope you had a good day!

Petty Boy said...

Thanks Johngy for such an awesome post. I just read this now.
Chuck

Nancy said...

Happy belated birthday. Hope you had a great day!