My Dad was one who never knew a stranger, he was a farmer in the Midwest and he spent his winters selling insurance and commodities. Daddy could really talk up anyone and his favorite thing to do was find out their income. Once we were at Chicago's O'Hare airport. This was when you could still be escorted back to your gate. Daddy was siting with me as I waited for my flight to Fort Lauderdale. A Russian guy sat down next to daddy, the gentleman could not speak a work of English but the at did not stop my dad. He found out his business, how many children he had and of course how much he made.

I used to be some what embarrassed by this but the last year of daddy's life I was home visiting with my husband and twins and I was in the car with my mom. She told me a story about how she was in the doctors office with daddy and how he was his usual self -- talking away to the others in the waiting room (my mom was very private and very shy, so i imagine she was bothered by this as well). She said he started talking to this young man in a wheel chair who could not talk, could not move his arms or head, really couldn't do anything. But daddy is taking away asking questions getting the young man to smile in response. And he carried on like that with the disabled man till he was call back to doctors office.

When the young man and his father got up to see the Doctor the father of the young man came over an shook my dads hand and said " Thank you for speaking to my son, most people just turn away when they see him."

My father ended up dying later that month, a big surprise -- a sudden hear attack, fortunately all 9 of his children had been home that summer to visit. I told this story about his love of talking at the funeral.