Dad's birthday & the Havana Firework tradition....
Today July 7, 2018 marks what would have been My father Bill May's 77th
birthday. Sadly he passed away from Lung Cancer On November 27, 2007.
Despite his mistakes, mom's mistakes and my mistakes as a bratty teenager we
did develop a better relationship from 2000 til his death. Once he got me on at
Intermet Havana Foundry and found some common ground could relate too
formed a bond. In the late 1990's like 1997 or 1998 he started taking us to watch
fireworks at Havana and it became a yearly thing. A few times they held fireworks
on the riverfront and one year went there with a co worker Ronnie Jones and his son.
That was the time they ferried people across the river due to work being done on the
Highway 136 bridge. There's quite a few memories of being ferried across in itself.
After that just went to Havana every year for an exception of one year had to go to
Canton. They moved it out to the High school for a good number of years and we'd
go find a spot not far from the IMRR Railroad tracks and a former Bowling alley
and sit of the tail of his truck and watch. After he died I continued the tradition on
my own usually going by myself. It's either been too hot for mom to go or Shaun
doesn't want to.
We used to shoot off our own fireworks when i was a teenager after around some
of the Spoon River backwaters west of Havana. We'd go to Missouri and buy a whole
bunch including bottle rockets, roman candles and many others. He always took us out
in the country for that either there or some dark back road a mile or so away from the
Power Plant. He'd also take us on trips to growing up on and off like Galena, Illinois to walk around looking at the shops and visit US President Grant's home, Hannibal in Missouri for
the Mark Twain's stuff including the cave, that huge Lover's leap mountain and Titanic survivor Molly Brown's home. We also went to Lincoln's New Salem park, Lincoln's tomb
in Springfield, and the Chicago Science and Industry museum in 1994 for by 13th birthday.
I give him credit he chose alot of educational historical places but also went to Six Flags
Mid America in Saint Louis, Missouri. A few times went to Wisconsin to buy cheese and
one time took Dad myself up to Madison to the Cemetery where favorite 1990's SNL and
movie comedian Chris Farley is buried. It turns out he's in the masuleum which i didn't
know at the time. It's the thought that counts. He also would take us to visit my mom's
relatives graves in Mount Vernon and Salem, Illinois as well as her Dad's in Camp Butler
National cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. Some of these towns i know very well because Dad
took us there and i memorized directions such as Springfield, Fort Madison, Keokuk and
other cities. There was good memories not just bad. I could have appriciated that better
growing up but you never think your parents will die. That's a fact when you're a kid that
is the furthest thing from your mind.
So this blog's for you Old man Happy Birthday and Happy 4th of July. His nickname was
Old Man by everyone at Intermet Havana Foundry so we went with that. He's much missed
and loved by mom and me.
2018 Havana Fireworks:
Intermet Havana Foundry:
Dad's grave:
Dad's old 1993 Chevy truck. We used to share this vehicle when working at Intermet.
After he died had to sell it to get mom money to go on. I wish we didn't have too since
I liked the truck and had alot of memories with it but you got to do what you got to do
to help mom out. She kept his Ford Taurus for her self which she ended up wrecking
in 2009.
Shaun and I when we first started dating Dad was still alive. He only met Shaun
a few times since he died not months after we started dating in 2007:
birthday. Sadly he passed away from Lung Cancer On November 27, 2007.
Despite his mistakes, mom's mistakes and my mistakes as a bratty teenager we
did develop a better relationship from 2000 til his death. Once he got me on at
Intermet Havana Foundry and found some common ground could relate too
formed a bond. In the late 1990's like 1997 or 1998 he started taking us to watch
fireworks at Havana and it became a yearly thing. A few times they held fireworks
on the riverfront and one year went there with a co worker Ronnie Jones and his son.
That was the time they ferried people across the river due to work being done on the
Highway 136 bridge. There's quite a few memories of being ferried across in itself.
After that just went to Havana every year for an exception of one year had to go to
Canton. They moved it out to the High school for a good number of years and we'd
go find a spot not far from the IMRR Railroad tracks and a former Bowling alley
and sit of the tail of his truck and watch. After he died I continued the tradition on
my own usually going by myself. It's either been too hot for mom to go or Shaun
doesn't want to.
We used to shoot off our own fireworks when i was a teenager after around some
of the Spoon River backwaters west of Havana. We'd go to Missouri and buy a whole
bunch including bottle rockets, roman candles and many others. He always took us out
in the country for that either there or some dark back road a mile or so away from the
Power Plant. He'd also take us on trips to growing up on and off like Galena, Illinois to walk around looking at the shops and visit US President Grant's home, Hannibal in Missouri for
the Mark Twain's stuff including the cave, that huge Lover's leap mountain and Titanic survivor Molly Brown's home. We also went to Lincoln's New Salem park, Lincoln's tomb
in Springfield, and the Chicago Science and Industry museum in 1994 for by 13th birthday.
I give him credit he chose alot of educational historical places but also went to Six Flags
Mid America in Saint Louis, Missouri. A few times went to Wisconsin to buy cheese and
one time took Dad myself up to Madison to the Cemetery where favorite 1990's SNL and
movie comedian Chris Farley is buried. It turns out he's in the masuleum which i didn't
know at the time. It's the thought that counts. He also would take us to visit my mom's
relatives graves in Mount Vernon and Salem, Illinois as well as her Dad's in Camp Butler
National cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. Some of these towns i know very well because Dad
took us there and i memorized directions such as Springfield, Fort Madison, Keokuk and
other cities. There was good memories not just bad. I could have appriciated that better
growing up but you never think your parents will die. That's a fact when you're a kid that
is the furthest thing from your mind.
So this blog's for you Old man Happy Birthday and Happy 4th of July. His nickname was
Old Man by everyone at Intermet Havana Foundry so we went with that. He's much missed
and loved by mom and me.
Intermet Havana Foundry:
Dad's old 1993 Chevy truck. We used to share this vehicle when working at Intermet.
After he died had to sell it to get mom money to go on. I wish we didn't have too since
I liked the truck and had alot of memories with it but you got to do what you got to do
to help mom out. She kept his Ford Taurus for her self which she ended up wrecking
in 2009.
a few times since he died not months after we started dating in 2007:
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