DEDICATED TO THE MAN WHO LAUGHED HIS A$$ OFF

Tony Walker


This past weekend was a tough one. My wife's Uncle, who is her Godfather and whom she is very close with, died suddenly. He had minor health concerns but there was nothing currently going on... this was totally out of left field.


In honor of Lisa's Uncle I'd like to share a little story.

Uncle Ted had the most loud, highest, one of a kind laugh I've ever heard. Being in the comedy business, I've heard a lot of laughs. Picture this, if you will; Alan Alda's Hawkeye Pierce mixed in with Joe Pesci and maybe a few farm animals, that was Uncle Ted's laugh.

When I first met Uncle Ted I knew he had a sense of humor because of that laugh. He busted my balls almost immediately about what a great guy my wife's ex husband had been. Me, being the ultimate ball buster, gave it right back. One of the first times I went to his house I walked around the house looking at all the pictures on the wall. Uncle Ted had tons of photos on his walls. I got a kick out of seeing my wife and her family as they looked before I knew them. Then came THE PICTURE - a picture of the whole family - all the cousins, aunts, uncles, plumbers, etc. In this picture was the one and only, ex husband.

I went into Uncle Ted's kitchen, searched for scissors. Once I found them I took out a picture of my wife and I. I cut my face out, found some tape in the kitchen and put my face over the ex's. Now, it was an official family picture! I didn't say anything. I just walked away and let someone else notice. Well someone noticed alright. Now picture, and imagine that Alan Alda, Joe Pesci, farm animal laugh - but multiply it by 10 because this man laughed his ass off! That was 1997. Almost every time I saw Uncle Ted he talked about that picture. He never took it down either. My face taped over the ex is still there, as we speak.

Uncle Ted had a huge sense of humor and an even huge love of his family. As I said earlier, he had pictures all over his house of his family because he loved them so much. A good man who will be missed. 

Thanks for letting me tell this story. And thanks to Barbara and Dawn for their support.