Friends
I wanted to pass along that Jill's father, Walter Carlson passed away Thursday, after a long battle with COPD. Wally was a Chicago fireman for over 35 years. He was stationed on the west side at district 1 battalion 13 engine 95, which was the busiest in the U.S. during the 60's through the late 80's. He was active in the CFD Union and helped form the brotherhood of the barrel that was impetus for the 1980 strike during the Jane Byrne era. The thing Wally was most proud of was the concession for new and and safer equipment for firemen. Unfortunately for Wally the years of running into smoke filled buildings without a mask to save people in the end cause him to leave to our family to early. In the thirty years I've been with Jill, I have never met a fireman who didn't know Wally or had an unkind thing to say about him. Walter became a Rambler fan when I started dating Jill way back in the fall of 1984. I don't think he ever missed a game that was televised and listen to the radio broadcasts religiously during my tenure. It was a common bond we shared that was special between the two of us. Jill and I would laugh when she would call after games when I played saying Wally would swear a blue streak whenever I missed a free-throw. Please keep Jill and our family in your prayers. The full obit should be in the paper on Sunday.
http://www.smithcorcoran.com/obits/obit ... er-CarlsonKlu