One of my favorite memories of dad was when I was about 6 years old he told me. Rob let’s go take a ride on the bulldozer. Of course I was ready. I remember that day very clearly. From the moment he slid that heavy door open on the old car shed. The smell of the diesel when he started it. He picked me up and set me on the tracks. He climbed on and set me on the side seat. He said hold on we need to go do some work. We rolled down the road into the trailer park. Everyone was outside looking at Mr Bob rolling along with his dozer. Then along the road comes my grandma In her white Cadillac. I thought why is maw maw in the park. That’s weird. We started to turn from the grass area to head toward the area where the trailers were parked. There was a crowd of people around.
As we pulled up. The sherif deputies met my dad and flagged him in. He spun around and backed to a hitch of this mobile home truck that was bogged down in the mud.
The story goes. The tenants didn’t pay the rent to the trailer park. So they got evicted. They contacted a mobile home moving company to move this trailer. Keep in mind this is the 80s.
The trailer has been in this particular spot since 1968. So the truck couldn’t move this trailer. Nobody could get the truck out either.
Her comes Mr Ciuffi with his dozer I heard.
Dad chained the dozer to the bumper of the truck. The mobile home guy said. MR Ciuffi I don’t think this will work that trailer is sunk in the mud. Dad said look. Once I start pulling I will not stop until this piece of sh&t is off my property. understand?? He looked at me and said hold on son. Her we do. Dad pulled the throttle and pulled the clutch. The dozer snatched that truck and the trailer and out they both came. He never missed a beat. In a matter of 10 minutes that truck and trailer were on the highway off of the Ciuffi property. My father was a loving man and a very fair man. He gave people many chances and gave them the benefit of the doubt. Sadly I’ve witnessed him get burned so many times and he would have to do this on occasion. Anyone who knew my dad knew how he loved his family. His friends. And many many of his tenants from the many years operating Myrtle Grove trailer park with his family.
I will miss those tractor rides and those bulldozer rides. Yes I can drive both of them myself now. But daddy did it special for us kids.
He gave many children their first ride on the big yellow tractor. I was blessed that he gave my daughter her first ride on that very tractor I took my first ride on many years ago.
We will miss dad and his special gift that he had to make things better no matter what. The song Daddy’s hands is true in my dads life.
Rest easy poppy. Fly high.
