A Friend Remembered

There have been many people that passed through the doors into the world of Fred's News.  Some were regulars, others just in passing.  Some leaving lasting impressions, others friends for a lifetime and some just comforting memories, recalled at a moments notice. Our friend Mr. Oatley, among those that left his mark.  A quiet man, always willing to help,  he enjoyed sitting, listening and conversing with all that shared they Fred's News experience. Disabled early in life from a freak accident at his place of employment, Rich, stayed busy.  Best know for his fancy red pick-up truck, always immaculate, Richie loved the flowers of Fred's News.  He often mentioned, "Spring was his season". He enjoyed the colors of Spring, the re-birth of the landscape, taking great pride in his vibrant blooming Rhododendron bushes, their beauty, breathtaking.  Neighbors awaited the blooming of these plants yearly, their colors so vivid.  Although the bushes were large and in need of pruning, Richie decided against it, fearing they would never return to their glory. Other family members decided the now tree-like plants needed to be pruned and took it upon themselves.  The dastardly deed done, Richie near died, as he witnessed the results, a very sad day on Main Street, in the tiny village of Baltic. His family, I am sure feared not only for their lives, but worried Richie would give himself heart failure.  As he related the story to patrons of Fred's News, all assured him, they would return even bigger and better, next Spring.  For the record, it took more than one Spring and never really quite as exquisite.

Richie passed away much too soon, leaving a void in the Fred's News family.  It was he who called the restaurant, the morning of the twin tower attacks, 911. Too sick with cancer, he made sure his Fred's News family was not only informed but safe as well.   Our first few months in business, it was Richie that helped us move our entire house in one day, just a few hundred feet up West Main Street, to our new home above Fred's News Restaurant.  I was quite sure Richie was going to suffer a heart attack that afternoon.  Two flights of stairs, heavy furniture, boxes, clothes and anything else in our former abode, was moved in it's entirety, in one day.  Not about choices, we had a business to run, sorting out the mess, stuck in every available space, would have to wait.  Just put everything in a room, any room!  I remember as we packed up the contents of our home some twenty-plus years later...."Jesus, I did not realize we still had this, thought it was lost in the last move!" Now that's scary.

Today as I walked around Disney's Epcot, I watched some of the painters behind the scene, making sure that the Disney experience is perfect.  fresh coats of paint, gorgeous flowers, everything in tip-top shape, I thought of Richie.  His hobby, he loved to paint, his hopes and dreams, someday he would be a painter at Disney World! Sadly, he never achieved that dream, yet today as I watched painters hurriedly applying a new coat, I thought of Richie and I am sure his spirit sits on their shoulders..."oops you missed a spot, it's gotta be purr-fect!" That's our friend..Rich Oatley!