Dobbers in hand, his BINGO cards surrounded by the many good luck charms sent to him over the years by his family and friends who stood at the ready to hear that last number called for him to yell, BINGO! BINGO nights with my Dad are some of my most cherished memories that I have. Monday and Wednesday nights you would find him at the Elks Club in Bangor.
He enjoyed watching them from his kitchen window.ĭaddy had a real passion for BINGO. He took great pleasure feeding the many birds that called his front yard home. The record of nearly 12 feet happened two years ago. Daddy took great pride in his sunflowers, each year he anxiously awaited to see what heights his sunflowers would reach. The Superbowl was our “special time,” each year we selected our teams, placed our bet, then waited to see who would be buying the other a Subway Sandwich of their choice, most often, it was me that did the buying.Īfter his retirement, he took up gardening, each season he tended his little garden of tomatoes and cucumbers. He spent many Mondays and Sundays cheering for his favorite teams, The Green Bay Packers, college teams such as Notre Dame, West Virginia State and of course Marshall University. He would demonstrate Kirby Vacuum Cleaners for more than twenty years before he would be forced to retire for medical reasons.ĭaddy loved sports, his favorite by far was football. In June of 1980, he arrived in Maine for my high school graduation, after a few months, he decided to make Maine his home, he left the magazine crew, then continued his sales career with The Kirby Company of Bangor Maine. Over the years he met many interesting people through his travels, some he would barter magazine subscriptions for gifts for his family back home, like beautiful handmade dolls that I have cherished for many, many years or special items such as a bird chirping clock for his Mother. After the concert I would find out just how amazing he was at winning prizes from the fair games, he had won several stuffed animals among other things for me before he was asked to stop playing, my favorite item being Snorkey, the pink elephant.
On one of his many visits he took me to my very first music concert at the Ohio State Fair where we saw Doc Severinsen and Dionne Warwick. My walls were covered with these postcards from all over the country. During those years he shared his many adventures through the hundreds of postcards and letters he sent to not only me, but to his entire family. Leaving his hometown, he began the first of many cross-country trips selling magazine subscriptions door to door. Wanting something different he joined a magazine crew from the Union Circulation Company out of GA. After high school he was given a sports scholarship to Marshall University where he played football until funds for the scholarship ran out.įor a short time Daddy worked in the coal mines shoring up the wooden beams that lined the coal mining shafts. Throughout high school, he was a star athlete, running track as well as playing football for Logan High School where his teammates gave him the nickname “Rabbit” because of how fast he could run the football down the field. Daddy grew up in the small coal mining town of Holden, West Virginia. Immigrants from San Luis Potosi Mexico, Isabel Aleman and his wife Antonia (Estrada) welcomed their son Johnny into the world on Februin Omar, West Virginia. KENDUSKEAG - In the twilight hours of a misty grey Saturday morning, surrounded by his loving family, my beloved Daddy, Johnny Aleman began his spiritual journey home when he peacefully departed his earthly body to join those family and friends that had departed before him.