I never knew his name but, he always smiled and said hi as I walked past. He always sat there in his folding chair on the sidewalk in front of his apartment entrance. The kind of folding chair with green plastic webbing that you use in the yard. He always had a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon or a Rainer within reach. He was always passing out milk bones to dogs as their owners walked them by. And he was always smiling and greeting each person individually, some even by name. He was a fixture here in our little Queen Anne neighborhood. He was a warm unassuming soul that will be truly missed.

Joe passed away a few weeks ago. I didn’t hear about it right away. But when I drove by his stoop last night I nearly broke down and cried. The steps of his apartment and been converted into a small shrine. There were many bouquets of flowers. I spotted a couple boxes of milk bones. The article in the Queen Anne News said that someone even left him one last Rainer. But I think what really got me was his chair. There it sat, folded up, leaning against the wall. I’d only ever seen that chair with Joe occupying it. Seeing it folded up and put away brought a tear to my eye to think that I’ll never be greeted by Joe again. Man, I sure wish I would have stopped and talked to that guy. Funny how someone can feel so close yet you don’t even know them. And you don’t realize that until they are gone.

So long Joe. You’ll be missed.