Another dish taken away from the Passover Sader. I love you Pa

10/11/2012

(no word on fb please)

My grand father passed away this evening. My mom told me when I got home from work. She said to me "I have bad news to tell you" I had an eery feeling, but when my mom said that Pa passed away, I went to my room, put baseball on my radeo and layed in my bed with my head in my pillow and I just cried for a solid hour.

Norman Alpert was Born March 9th, 1918. He was the youngest of 6 children.
Growing up during the depression, life wasnt easy. He would go down town and sit on the side of the street to see if he could sell fruits and vegetables. He would always get hand downs from his older brothers.
Upon graduating from Chelsea HS, he went into the army where he faught in WWII.
However, He got a full football scholarship to what is now Boston Univercity
After graduating, he taught history and played for a professional football team.

His brothers owned a scrap iron business that he got into after only a year teaching and playing pro football. He drove 18 wheelers to pick up company's iron's scrap and eventually he moved up to crains and other heavy vehicles in the yard.

He married Francis Baer in 1942 who was a smart and beautiful lady who went to secretarial school and working at a company in the city.
They adopted a baby boy in April of 1949 and would be their only child.

my grand father finally sold the scrap iron business in 1990. He worked till he was 72 years old. He and my nana went to florida during the winter before making it his purmanant home a few years later.

He enjoyed playing-watching golf, watching baseball and basketball and having about 5 cups of coffee through out the day, every day.
However, the thing he loved more than anything, to be with us grand kids.

He would take us out for ice cream once a week.
You all know how much I love baseball. It was my grand father who got me into baseball.

I remember when he had come into my twin and my bedroom and called my older brother into the room. He handed us each a TOPS triple package of baseball cards. Each package had a Red Sox player on top and that one package of cards is what started it. He then bought tickets to 3 games, one for each of us. Although my father took me to the game he bought for me, if it wasn’t for him buying us tickets….who knows?

He would tell us this story...when he was in college, I guess there was an exabition game between the Boston Braves and the College's baseball team at Braves field. Ironicly enough, is now where the BC eagles play....
He got to bat against the hall of fame pitcher, Warren Spahn. He also told me that when he was off in war, during down time they would play baseball and he played with some hall of fame players there too. I dont recall the names but no, none of them was Ted Williams


He also took us to our first basketball game. It was 1988 and was the Boston Celtics vs the Los Angeles Lakers. We sat front row. I have NO IDEA how he got those tickets during the hight of Larry vs Magic.

I remember when my nanna and pa went to fl for the winter, for Chanukah, my father would record us doing the blessings for the candles and opening our presents. He would do it for all 8 nights and send the tapes down for them to watch it.
(lol if it was 2012, we could have just skyped)

He was able to meet and be with Devin, his first great grand child and we got a picture of them together.

Sunday will probably be the Funeral.
It will be very very difficult

Pa, You were a strong and proud man.
Thank you for teaching me about sports.
I love you…you will always live on in my heart.

GO RED SOX!

…Say hi to Punchy and Fran, Uncle Gabe, Uncle Denis, chief Bill, Rabbi Kuma, Aaron and Betty heighten, *
Aunty Ruthie and uncle Dicky, Aunty Eva, Uncle Todels, Aunty Charlott, and any other brother-sister of yours and brother and sister of Nana’s who you’ll be with.

pps. I'll make sure to give you a baseball on Sunday