Pogie

This is the eulogy I gave at my father in law's funeral. I promise to try to be funny next week.


First of all, we would like to express our appreciation to all of you for coming out on such short notice. To be honest, although Mr. Stanley had been in a bad way for a long time, it is always a shock when that moment comes. However, it was very peaceful and for that we give thanks.


It is difficult saying goodbye to such a larger than life character as my father in law. And he was a character.

He was a refrigeration engineer for Colonial Stores/Grand Union. His job was to make sure the refrigeration units were running and to fix them when something happened. His motto: "It was running when I left".

He was a true engineer. He loved taking things apart to see how they worked.

He was not afraid of new technology. He loved his computer and playing around with it. We got him a cell phone a few years ago and he learned how to text. He could text as well as any teenager!

He had his hobbies. The Day Lillies and Bonsai Trees. He was a talented woodworker. He had an incredible shop. He made us a clock when we got married. He inscribed on the inside: "Handcrafted by W.A.Stanley".

He also raced Homing Pigeons. One time he went up to Chattanooga for a race, released the pigeon, drove home and when he got there, the pigeon was there! However, the pigeon was up in a tree. He needed the pigeon to fly out of the tree and into the pigeon cage where he untie the tag on the pigeon's leg and clock his obvious winning effort. The pigeon had another idea and so there was Pogie, out in his backyard  yelling at a pigeon to fly down and get into his cage.

About his nickname: he was tagged "Pogie" by his father after a cartoon character. [Note: After the service, my brother in law says he was named after a boxer. I'm sure that's right and I regret the error.]  The name stuck and it was always odd to hear someone call him William or Bill.

When they made Pogie, they broke the mold. There was nobody like him.

He had a way of speaking that was all his own. His oldest daughter's name is Julia. I never heard her called anything but "Jew-ya". My own beloved wife, Lori, L-o-r-i, was called "Laurie" L-a-u-r-i-e.

When you asked him a question, he would answer it "Well, you see here..." and you were in for a long detailed explanation from an engineer. And if he said "Yeah..." you were in for a story.

My all time favorite Pogie story is about Pogie and the Georgia fan. I'm not meaning to offend or surprise any of  my fellow Baptists here, but Mr. Stanley's father was a tavern owner. The tavern was called "Duffy's" and was in Mid-town near The Fox Theatre.

Once after a Georgia-Georgia Tech game (back during the Bobby Dodd years when Tech was a power house) a customer came in. He was dressed head to toe in the stereotypical boola-boola get up of the time. The man was wearing a full length fur coat with a straw hat.

The man ordered a beer. Pogie served it to him and he drank it in one long continuous swallow. When he finished, the man wiped the foam off his face with the sleeve of his coat and said "I HATE GEORGIA TECH!"  Pogie responded (and I will use only the initials ) "THWG" and punched the man in the face, which obviously caused a big ruckus.

Now, I have been a UGA fan all of my life, mainly because I'm saved, but I could not help but to say to Pogie: "Haven't you heard that the customer is always right?" He said, "Yeah..but that time he wasn't!"

I would like to thank his neighbor, Janice Foster. She really helped us out. A LOT. Thanks, Janice, you are the best.

I would also like to take this opportunity to address the Masons that are here. He loved being a Mason and was once a "Worshipful Master". One time, he and Mary went to North Carolina in a old used car that he bought. Up until recently, he always bought used cars and he went through cars like you might go through office supplies. So, here's Pogie and Mary somewhere in North Carolina and the car conks out.  He pulled off to the side of the road. He said, "Yeah....there we were on the side of the and I just flashed the Mason Signal of Distress and somebody stopped". I later found out his "signal" was standing by the side of the road, jumping up and down and waving his hands. But, don't worry, that was the only "secret" he revealed.

One side of Pogie that a lot of people don't know is that he was an incredible cook. The man could flat "burn". I'll give him this: he made the best chili and Brunswick stew. He was a biscuit making master, too.

Someone who can't be here today was his little friend, Chico. Chico was a dog he found at the pound and became Pogie's companion. Pogie took care of Chico and Chico looked after Pogie.

[Note: After the services, the Funeral Home director said Chico would have been welcomed to come. I laugh thinking about giving this eulogy and looking over and seeing Chico in a pew.]

Someone else, of course is Mary. They were married for about 56 years. After he retired, he would take her shopping and down to Union City to see Mary's sister Gerri. Mary and Pogie are now together again, "in a land that knows no parting".

You probably couldn't find two people who were less alike than me and him. He could fix just about anything and I am one of the biggest klutzes in the world. I can't tell you how many times he came out to our house to fix something that was torn up or worn out. But he always came out and it was running when he left.