Beezle, Ken, Kenny, My Son, Born May 27, 1975 and lived a full lifetime in the next 29 years and 16 days. These colors are the closest I could get to the School Colors of the LSU Tigers. Ken was an LSU fan in a house and an entire state of University of Tennessee, Volunteer Orange. He was so much like me in that sense, not caring what those around him were thinking or doing, but instead, just doing his own thing. Kenny was my friend. We would argue usually over something small as he would come in joking around when I was in a particularly bad mood and I would explode at him. Other times it was I who would be cutting up and he would be cranky. At these times we would usually just go different ways. Kenny was like his brother and followed him into the Sheet Metal Apprentice Program. I tried to talk them out just as my dad had done with me. Same result. and then same result. I caught the raw end of things from people who did not like my Dad but would not dare approach him. I changed carreers for twenty years always doing some Metal Work on the side, mostly Copper flashing on chimneys and a few standing seam roof on Bay windows. I went back to the Union for a short time in the 90's and soon found myself in the middle of a new controversy over our Pension Fund, something I vowed to dig into after my dad's Pension was reduced to nearly nothing after his work time with TVA was taken off, TVA had a seperate pension plan but you HAD to get 20 calendar in and they cut him loose after a physical at 19 years 10 and 1/2 months. No Tva Pension and 20 years lost with the Union. But that is another matter. I roam a lot. I left and went to other work and my sons were safe for a while as they worked for my cousin but then they came after them as they had me thirty years before. Kenny was very good at what he did as both boys picked up the Architectural Sheet Metal, Copper and Slate in particular as very few people in Middle Tennessee could work with these products and the demand was high so a job was no problem. Ken would work until he got restless and then he would decide to take off to Niagra Falls, Grand Tetons, Mexico, Daytona, Talledaga. If his boss would not give him time off, he would quit and go anyway. If he ran out of money, he always had his tools with him and would find enough work for food and gas. He always said if he made it to 30 he would settle down. He dated women or lived with a few who were 10 to 15 years older. He had just met a girl his age a few months before he was killed and they were getting very close. He loved his Tattoos and moonlighted doing Body Piercings for a friend who owned a Tat Shop. He was learning to do Tattoos also. He wrote poetry or songs constantly. Dark, moody, political, statements of the times or the people. I have a very few of them as I do not know where the rest were. There were 8 or 9 full Notebooks and Journals. He had said before that he always kept them with some one he trusted who would destroy them should anything happen to him. That would have been only one of two people and I have never asked either, never will, although I am curious. He kept his hair long but had given to "Locks for Love" four times. Over 74 inches total with 28 nches at one time. Asked him about people getting on the news or in the paper and he would just say, "That's not why I do it". He was always doing for others, picking up checks, paying for gas, taking cigs to the jail just to pass them out. I was wondering why he had a picture of a Freshman High School Homecoming Attendant in his Billfold and the girl from the picture and her mothe who I then recognized came up to me at the Funeral Home so I asked and found that I must have been the only one who did not know the story. Ken had dated the mom a few times when they were freshmen or sophs and found out from a friend about how Kay's boyfriend had drained the bank account, not paid bills and left. Kenny went and paid to get theur lights back on and took them to Kroger buying about $150 in groceries. Kenny was giving her $50 more for gas and whatever when Kaycee started crying and Ken thought it was because of what he had done. She told him she had been selected Freshman Homecoming Attendant but was going to have to call the alternate for her to go, she could not buy a dress. Kenny, as usual just said get in the car and let's go to Clarksville shooping. He bought her a $350 Dress and when she kept telling him he had bills to pay to at least just but one at a Thrift Store, but not Ken. He would just pay his bills next week. I have his solid white Huskie, well 3/4 Huskie the other 1/4 is Akita/Wolf mix, Shadow.
Kenny's Spirituality was the same as mine and his brother's. This did seem to upset some ofhis mother's brothers as I have learned since after I mentioned that not one single cent of the nearly $4000 in donations that were received which did not include almost $1000 that was picked up by someone with a habit of a little whith powder needing the money, that the reason given was my refusal to let his cousin's husband preach the funeral. (Mom's side) I also did not let his cousin, my sister's son preach, nor the other two who wanted to volunteer their services. They were from the Baptist Church I was raised in and he was too for about 19 years. I explained why and some listened and one did not and when he found out I was doing his Eulogy refused to come to the Funeral. His wife, Ken's cousin on his mom's side did and also offered me $250 a couple years later when she found out that her dad and his brothers had all decided not to help in any way. She was Kenny's friend and did not worry too much about his beliefs although married to a Baptist Preacher, She and Ken had been a Team and went to Nashville two weeks before the accident for tryouts fo the TV Show "Fear Factor", and the strange thing was they were asked back as one of five finalist in the Nashville Market area out of 1200 or so that came for the tryouts. The letter came about a week after the funeral. I let one of the Funeral Home Directors who I knew well say a prayer to the people in the Chappel, knowing not to speak towards Ken. He also said one at the gravesite and then an ex brother-in-law who had been removed from the funeral home after starting trouble overseveral things but mostly when he made the statement " His mom might have something to say about who does his service" I replied, "She gave up that right when he was eight years old and she walked out on him and his brother, and she hasn't paid a cent on this funeral to buy any rights" That was when he decided to take a swing at me, still in Physical Therapy from the 30 ft fall 10 and 1/2 months before and luckily on my crutches as I was about worn down. I knew his temper and had already started a kind of side step but I threw up one crutch to block the punch and his fist goes right through the upper frame between the rails, it jerked me and I stumbled straight back into a chair, good landing, but not for James, although he was very lucky it was an aluminun crutch that would buckle instead of his elbow which would have been turned backwards had the crutch been wooden, I know now it was a cold and mean spirited thing to say but your mind does not always work that well at time like that. But James walks up behind me and right after one of Kenny's school mates had spoken a few words as I had asked that anyone who wished to speak to do so. A lot had wanted to but just could not, just as two of the Pallbearers could not finish, but we had 12, and as James stepped up he says he wants to say a few words and I started to say something but waited and the moment he asked everyone to bow their heads three of Ken's Pallbearers, one his brither grabbed James and I almost broke one of the guys hands as I launched a backward jab with one of my crutches aiming for his throat. Five seconds and it was over. The Chappel would only seat 350 and that was a fraction of people there. Almost every one followed out to the cemetary two miles away and the Deputy who was es corting told me later that when the Hearse had stopped and about a half dozen cars he got the signal the last one was out. My nephew who is Obsessive/compulsive like me told me later at the house he counted over 300 cars and trucks. At the time he told me he had the number of escort cars, hearse, flower Van, Utility Truck, everything counted. He could probably have been able to tell me how many were red, blue, brown, etc. Can't say much, I used to do the same thing riding around the parking lot at the Prison. Must run in the family, my mother was like that also. Seems like things of this type happen at Funerals or Family Reunions as we call them, but I figur if the almost one thousand people there could accept Ken for who he was, Long hair, piercings, Tattoos from shoulders down, none on hands, but fullsleeve of Tribal work on one arm, his bragging, but, "It ain't braggin if you say it and then you back it up" which he would do. He was tenacious with his hard wiry fists that he knew how to twist just at contact and bring blood every hit, He was'nt all that big but few could beat him in an arm wrestling match or take the grip he had developed from using Tin Snips. It was only after my accident, a fact I had to repeat to him several times in vain, that he was able to come to a standoff with me. He was one of the best shots with a rifle I had ever seen. Watched him lay a 7mm Mag across his coat and the hood of the truck and make a Heart-shot on a small 6 point Buck that he judged the distence at 550 or so yards down a power line two hills over. We shot the distance a couple days later with a Transit and it was 562 yards. He wanted to make a 1000 yard shot and to see if he could hit he took my 300 Win Mag up above the house on the powerline and shooting from a shooting bench put 5 shots in a 55 gal drum with an 18 inch round target painter on it. You could cover the shots with a 9 inch pie plate. He was like me and like his nephew and niece, grew up with guns. He was shooting a .308 at deed when he was 8 years old and 48 pounds. He was small but tuff. Sommer had been with us about 6 months when Ken was killed and I had not been up out of my wheel chair but a couple of months. Sommer had always been around him all her life but got real close. She has me stop by the grave a lot more than I would do on my own and always cleans all the grass clippings off his headstone and gives it a kiss. She talks with him and I've learned not to ask. It's Private. Ken is with me always, especially when I'm in the woods here on the farm, things like the metal folding chairs and empty Mt Dew bottles just where he left them. I always feel a little closer when I'm around these things. He would always call me "The Master of Useless Trivia" but use me to settle Bar-room bets.
Now that I'm started, I'm going to have to do several of these on Ken. Got some good stories but just have to do them as they come to my mind.
"Wakan Tankan Nici Un" Son, Love POP
LL Ranch Front Gate
