Grandpa was well known for his work at Zurich Insurance, his speeches on holidays, his stinginess regarding things that could be obtained without purchase, like napkins and ketchup, his sometimes convoluted but always fun games at Christmas, and for being an all around good man, and father, and grandfather.
Less known to many is his storied medical career. Whenever Grandpa was watching us when we were kids, he would attend to any of our expected bumps, bruises, and scrapes as the illustrious and seemingly Italian Dr. Balone (possibly Balogne - I never really saw it in writing.)
"Come on over and let Dr. Balone take a look at it."
Dr. Balone was a competent and caring physician to each of us that encountered him. He even deftly applied a butterfly strip to little Eric's eyebrow after I, to my eight-year-old horror, smashed him in the face with a doorknob up at the Condo. In the end, I suppose this is less about words of wisdom, and more about remembering a softer side of Gramps that we didn't always get to see. Thanks for patching us up when we needed it, Doc.
-Matt
You couldn't have possibly said it better.
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