THANK YOU MOM

When WW2 ended, Dad returned from his service in the Pacific.  He and Mom (known to most as, Millie) used his GI Bill benefits to buy a farm in rural Ohio.  The small town of Stow, between Akron and Cleveland, is where they settled. The 20-acre mini farm they purchased was both a dream come true and a test of frontier survival!   

Mom had grown up in the city of Akron.  Her father worked in the tire plants. Goodrich, Goodyear and Firestone had all provided factory work for thousands who had migrated from surrounding states to earn a living.  As a young girl, she lived in a small but nice home with a furnace, hot running water, electric stove and a flush toilet. When she and her young husband (plus 3 children born before the war) pioneered their new farm in Stow, they were without ANY of the amenities and conveniences she was accustomed to – no running water, no electric stove, no furnace.  She used an antiquated icebox and no indoor plumbing meant we utilized an outhouse in the backyard. Additionally, she was pregnant with me (#4 of 6) when they all moved in to that tiny farmhouse in 1946.

My mom stood just 5 feet tall and weighed less than 120 pounds.  I was born at 9 lbs. 3 oz. This tiny person cared for 3 children and a newborn by herself in a remote and rustic setting.  Those early years (I’m told) were a cold, lonely, tough time. No TV or telephone – just a radio for entertainment.

Mother milked cows, cared for chickens, turkeys, pigs, cats, dogs, kids and babies, mostly, on her own.  At one point, she didn’t leave the property at all for at least a full year! Life got a little easier for her as we grew older, of course, and could help with the many chores and responsibilities of farm life.  And Dad eventually plumbed the house to include one bathroom for our 8-person household.

When people ask me about being “tough” in the NFL and who was the toughest person I ever met in my life, they usually expect me to say Dick Butkus, Joe Greene or Ray Nitschke.  Most people don’t expect me to say my mother. But she was the toughest, kindest, sweetest person I’ve ever known. All rolled up in to one tiny but powerful woman!

I was blessed Mom lived long enough to attend my jersey retirement ceremony in Miami which gave me the opportunity to introduce her to all the Dolphin fans at a home game.  She was awed by the boom of the crowd when I introduced them to my Mommy! The approving roar will always be a treasured memory for me.

Thank you Dolphin fans for helping me say “thank you Mom.”

ZONK