google.com, pub-4909507274277725, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 Slapinions: Obituary

Search This Blog

Showing posts with label Obituary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obituary. Show all posts

Saturday, March 21, 2020

RIP Kenny Rogers


Sad news tonight, as Kenny Rogers, a country music legend and icon of my youth, passed away yesterday.  He was 81.

My Mom was a huge fan and Rogers' 8 track was ubiquitous in our flat. At some point early in my youth, well before I was ten, my parents took me to one of his concerts. I only remember a fleeting second of the show, but I'm glad I went.

I also remember the whole family going to see his movie SIX PACK in 1982. 



Anyway, rest in peace sir. You made many lives better with your music.




Friday, September 9, 2016

R.I.P Grandpa Jaspare


I first met my stepfather-in-law when I was 20, on the day I met Lisa. The details are fuzzy, but within minutes of being introduced he either called me a Polack, swore at me in Italian, or otherwise violated social etiquette.

Sensing a kindred spirit, I returned in kind. 

He laughed in reply, and I liked him immediately.



Within a few months our trips for coffee together at George Webb's became routine.Although I didn't realize it, he became the one, in Lisa's words, to vett me for her family. 

A year later he was called in front of my parish priest to vouch for our upcoming marriage. My mother-in-law had already told the priest she dissapproved of the wedding - if my 19 year old daughter said she was engaged, I'd do the same - but Jaspare went to bat for us. According to the priest, he advocated for us in a manner more Perry Mason than retired factory worker. 

I owe you for that Jaspare.


He had his flaw, God knows, just like us all. But when we had kids he became a beloved Grandpa, one especially close to YaYa. 






I owe you for that too Jaspare. 

A few months ago, just after a house fire that drove my in-law's into temporary housing, he was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. 

Yesterday Team Slap went to say our goodbyes at his hospice. The kids hugged him and told him they loved him, and broke down in tears. I found myself crying too, and thanking him for being there for the family. 

Shortly after midnight, he passed away. 

Rest in Peace Jaspare. 

We love you, and we'll miss you. 

Monday, November 19, 2012

FB - June and July of 2009


Tired, and amazed at G.H.W. Bush's energy
Former president George H.W. Bush celebrated his 85th birthday by jumping out of an airplane.
June 12, 2009 at 8:30 pm Friends

Annoyed at the amount of noise coming from the street. It's 2am on a Monday morning - get in your car and go home already.
June 15, 2009 at 1:59 am Friends

Just put Ginger down for a nap. I've been calling the dentist for Lisa - the insurance claims not to have received their request for approval. I'm also writing some reviews for Slapinions to post later in the year. Meanwhile, Smiley's at a picnic and the
June 15, 2009 at 12:14 pm Friends

Watching I-Carly with Smiley and Ginger
June 15, 2009 at 5:49 pm Friends

LuLu's K5 GraduationThis past week featured a big day for LuLu, the graduation ceremonies that moved her from the world of kindergarten into First Grade. We got there just in the nick of time to see her class stroll ...Read More
June 15, 2009 at 5:49 pm

tired. kids and their friends are playing in the basement, no doubt destroying whatever's left in one piece down there.
June 17, 2009 at 10:56 am Friends

trying to type a post on Slapinons while Smiley stands behind me on the chair pulling my necklace taunt and yelling "Elmo now daddy! Elmo now!".
June 17, 2009 at 4:18 pm Friends

Just got done helping my friend Socialist replace the wax seal and bolts on my toilet. By 'help' I mean I entertained him with anecdotes while he did all the work.
June 17, 2009 at 5:38 pm Friends

Happy. Journal's assigned me to write a column for July 2nd.
June 19, 2009 at 11:21 am Friends

I'm wondering why no one from my grade school class appears to be on Facebook. I even dug out an old school group photo to make sure I spelled the names correctly, but no dice. You have to figure some of the girls now live under married names, but still,
June 19, 2009 at 8:04 pm Friends

Just watching the College World Series game I recorded earlier tonight. Not happy that LSU won the earlier game and ousted Ark., but whatcha gonna do?
June 19, 2009 at 11:30 pm Friends

Sorry for the back-to-back thoughts, but I just noticed that my sidebar here features an ad for a "Guarenteed Resume $34.95." If they can't spell their service correctly in the ad, chances are their work isn't going to impress many employers.
June 19, 2009 at 11:35 pm Friends

More problems with the construction of Miler Park, following Friday's rain. Parts of the roof were destroyed, the service area was flooded, and public records stored at the stadium were destroyed.
Repairs and clean-up work continued Sunday at Miller Park after heavy rains early Friday sent cascades of water into the stadium's service level.
June 21, 2009 at 6:59 pm Friends

I should point out that the order is somewhat mixed up. It's a Wondeful Life should be #1 on the list, as it is my favorite movie of all time. And you haven't seen it unless you've seen it in a theater full of people buzzed on Christmas wine.
Favorite movies of all time by Daniel The Godfather, Titanic, It's a Wonderful Life, Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments.
June 23, 2009 at 2:12 am

Just took out two bags of water damaged trash from the basement, including (sniff) my beloved Zombie Halloween Costume! Plus I'm covered in waterlogged cat litter, but who cares -my zombie costume is ruined!
June 23, 2009 at 10:40 pm Friends

Just emailed my column to the Journal, with a little time to spare. Not the easiest one to write, but I think it turned out ok. Oh, and LSU took the College World Series w/ a lopsided win today, so congrats to them. Woulda preferred Texas to win the crown
June 25, 2009 at 1:17 am Friends

Just got this in an email from the J. editor: "Dan, nice column by the way. Not too political, but gets at the importance of freedom and Fourth of July. " It must not have been as bad as I feared ;)
June 25, 2009 at 3:39 pm Friends

Taking Lu in for a last minute doctor's visit. She's got an awful hacking cough. Guess she inherited my family's allergies.
June 26, 2009 at 11:11 am Friends

Just got home from work. Tired and my feet ache.
June 26, 2009 at 11:59 pm Friends

Just got back from a rare dinner out with Lisa. One kid at grandma's, one at my sis, two watched at home with a babysitter.
June 27, 2009 at 11:50 pm Friends







Trying to Facebook while the baby hangs on my leg, jabbing a pencil at the screen and chating "Momma" as she points at my profile pic.
June 28, 2009 at 12:52 pm Friends

Billy Mays of OxiClean Fame, Dead at 50CNN is reporting that Billy Mays, the popular bearded pitchman for OxiClean and other products, as well as a star of his own reality series, was found dead in his Tampa home at age 50.
June 28, 2009 at 1:42 pm

'House Hunters' is on in the background. A young couple (early 20's) are spending Daddy's $$ on their first house and (eek!) the girl is upset that the indoor pool doesn't have its own waterfall, and that the floors are mahogany and not carpet. Poor baby.
June 29, 2009 at 12:53 am Friends

A former Match Game panelist dies of cancer. Bad week for celebrities.

Comedian and impersonator Fred Travalena died Sunday afternoon after a seven-year battle with cancer. He was 66.
June 29, 2009 at 9:26 am Friends

Just got back from a brisk 30 minute bike ride with YaYa, then practiced some hitting. After all that when I went on the computer (robbing her of her precious Club Penguin) she spazzed out and said she hated her bike and baseball too. Jeez kid, learn to c
June 30, 2009 at 12:12 pm Friends

I just found our copy of MJ's HIStory. Can't find my AWOL college diploma, but at least I can locate CD's we bought 14 years ago.
June 30, 2009 at 10:40 pm Friends

Just a reminder - a column of mine will appear in today's Journal-Sentinel. If you're in WI, kindly pick up a copy.
July 2, 2009 at 2:07 am Friends
Got a text from Lis @ ~12 saying they were 75 miles outside of DuBuque, IA. West of the Mississippi my city to city geography gets a little sketchy, so I have no idea if they're making good time.
July 2, 2009 at 1:48 pm Friends [Lisa and company were en route to Kansas for a NKOTB show]

Man, this sucks. I'll say a prayer for the soldier and his family. I suggest the Taliban responsible start praying hard too, because I imagine the US forces scouring the area aren't going to be in the mood to play nice.

The American soldier abducted in southeastern Afghanistan is now being held by a notorious militant clan, a senior U.S. military official said.
July 2, 2009 at 1:52 pm Friends

Listening to my daughter watching Ghostbusters II in the living room. Yeah, it's late. So what? I had to drive the babysitter home after work, which meant taking the kids with me. She'll fall asleep on the couch soon enough.
July 2, 2009 at 11:42 pm Friends

So let me get this straight. The Honduran president violates the constitution in his quest for power. The Supreme Court then orders the military to oust him and restore democratic, legal rule. And in response to the legal removal of this communist nut the White House cuts aid to the country. Beautiful.

The United States put some teeth in its diplomatic signals to Honduras Thursday, stopping some aid programs temporarily to the Latin American country as it grapples with its two-president crisis.
July 3, 2009 at 11:55 am Friends

Just got home 10 minutes ago. A long day, and i look forward to reading/writing in a quiet house. I still have to make that cake, but that *shouldn't* be a big deal. Famous last words, eh?
July 3, 2009 at 11:24 pm Friends

I thought the kids were asleep but they just ran downstairs all full of fake terror, giggling over Smiley having an accident in bed. I'm not even 100% it's true. I wouldn't put it past those girls to dump water on him and fib just to ruin his night.
July 3, 2009 at 11:29 pm Friends

Yeah, all b.s. to get out of bed. Smiley's asleep and dry as a bone. No liquid within five yards.
July 3, 2009 at 11:32 pm Friends


Dying to take a shower, but waiting for the cake to come out of the oven. I think it's thermostat must be going , and lately baking times have to be played strictly by ear.
July 4, 2009 at 12:25 am Friends

I'm beating my chest ala Tarzan. The cake is out of the oven and light and fluffy and golden brown. A thing of beauty, like looking at myself in carbohydrate form.
July 4, 2009 at 12:40 am Friends

in an effort to gobble up some more federal money Gov. Doyle's new budget makes seat belt enforcement a 'priority' issue . So now cops can pull you over for nothing more than seeing you without a seat belt on - and for shi*s and giggles under the guise of "I thought he wasn't wearing one judge!". Absolute bunk. I wear my seat belt, but in no way/shape/form is it the busines of anyone else, esp. the gov't.
July 5, 2009 at 3:23 pm Friends

My son's school bus failed to arrive this morning, Now I have to . . . well, naturally the bus just pulled up, 21 minutes late :)
July 6, 2009 at 8:08 am Friends

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, a key architect of the U.S. war in Vietnam under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, has died at age 93, according to his family.
July 6, 2009 at 11:45 am Friends

We found out about this in an odd way. We called to schedule the baby's birthday party and were curtly told the restaraunt was evacuating, could we please call back later? The fire continues to burn in Cudahy.
Cudahy city officials are continuing to urge residents within a one-mile radius of the burning Patrick Cudahy plant to evacuate their homes immediately while a fire continues to rage more than 10 hours after the blaze was first reported late Sunday.
July 6, 2009 at 11:48 am Friends

Yay! My son is home. I HATE that he takes a school bus, esp. since his summer speech program is at a diff. school, miles away from the one he knows. If he could say more than a couple dozen words - if he could voice his name and address - I'd feel much be
July 6, 2009 at 1:25 pm Friends

Watching/DVR'ing the Michael Jackson memorial service on CNN.
July 7, 2009 at 12:37 pm Friends

Right now Mariah Carey is peforming "I'll Be There" at the memorial. I don't care what anyone says, NKOTB did a better cover of the song.
July 7, 2009 at 12:43 pm Friends

I'm saving my venom for when/if he officially signs with Minnesota.
A Brett Favre signing with the Minnesota Vikings is expected to be announced in time for the start of the team's single-game ticket sales July 20. The Vikings will play Favre's former team, the Green Bay Packers, Oct. ...
July 7, 2009 at 12:55 pm Friends

Just back from my niece's 13th birthday party. We listened to the rest of the MJ memorial in the car, as V100 was broadcasting it live. (Probably the only time you'll hear me with that on my car stereo :)
July 7, 2009 at 6:53 pm Friends

I just checked my gmail account. It's cool to get emails from people who read my occasional columns, and it *almost* makes me feel like an actual, grown up writer. But man! I can't believe the time some people have to devote to these things. Some are long
July 7, 2009 at 11:57 pm Friends

Why is it . . .That a cell phone conversation in a public place is a thousand * times more infuriating than if the offender was yakking face to face?
July 8, 2009 at 8:48 pm

A Florida couple was slain in their home while 8 of their 16 children were present. 12 of the 16 children had been adopted knowing they had developmental disabilities and/or other issues.
Investigators asked the public to be on the lookout Friday for a red van they believe carried three men involved in the deaths of a Florida Panhandle couple who were shot in their rural home while eight of their children slept.
July 10, 2009 at 9:55 pm Friends

As a Certified Pool Operator at Job Prior, I can tell you the only way you're getting knocked up in a swimming pool is if you do it the old fashioned way. What's upsetting to me is the woman is Polish. Like we didn't have enough reasons for people to poke fun at us.
Magdalena Kwiatkowska of Poland thinks you can. She is suing an Egyptian hotel because she claims her 13-year-old daughter became impregnated after swimming in its pool during their recent holiday. Ms.Kwiatkowska ...
July 10, 2009 at 11:22 pm Friends

I don't know what's going on. I look at some sites in IE and pics are missing. I go to a different browser and they're there. So one of my posts may or may not need to be corrected. I guess I'll wait til morning, reboot, and go from there.
July 11, 2009 at 1:06 am Friends

Just back from the Frolics parade, followed by a little league game. Tired.
July 11, 2009 at 2:03 pm Friends

anyone going to the circus parade?
July 12, 2009 at 11:24 am Friends

Just got done watching The Unborn. Full review to follow, as you've grown to expect and detest, but as a sneak peek: it was worth the rental fee.
July 13, 2009 at 1:40 am Friends

A glass plate just exploded in the microwave, scattering pieces across the kitchen and just narrowly missing Lisa. I guess that wasn't microwave safe after all.
July 13, 2009 at 11:22 am Friends

Whoo-hoo! I worked tonight and didn't get the results until now. Congrats Prince!
Tonight was supposed to be Albert Pujols' night, but Prince Fielder and Nelson Cruz had other ideas.
July 14, 2009 at 12:30 am Friends

Just finished a column and sent it in. Now I'm going to bed. 'Nite
July 14, 2009 at 3:11 am Friends

Tonight's the All-Star game, which means the annual man only feast at my place. Dale, Jason - c'mon down if you can make it.
July 14, 2009 at 3:37 pm Friends

Just to head off the inevitable reports about how Fox is evil for not carrying yet another talk by the Prez - here's the scoop. As the article explains, when the conference was orginially scheduled for 8pm CST NBC was going to skip it and run their own program. Now Fox had to make the call. It all depends on how much $ is invested in the programming set to be bumped. Business is business.
It's all business, as the broadcast network had already scheduled a new two-hour edition of "So You Think You Can Dance," one of the most successful summer "reality" shows.
July 22, 2009 at 10:46 am Friends

Pearl Jam's new song "The Fixer" is on the web. I'm (happily) suprised that it has a strong pop sound, w/ kind of an '80's vibe. Or so I gather while sitting here wrestling with the baby for possession of a bag of torilla chips . . . .which she just dumped all over the floor. Curse me for reproducing so often. If only I wasn't so good at it.

July 22, 2009 at 12:02 pm Friends

What's up with all the miltiary jets coming out of Mitchell today? They keep buzzing overhead, even with the current rain showers.
July 23, 2009 at 1:48 pm Friends

I know some of you on this site will recognize the name and his work, even if, like me, you've never read his novels.
A Random House executive has confirmed to BV Newswire that best-selling author E. Lynn Harris has died.He was 54. Harris was on tour, promoting his 11th novel, 'Basketball Jones,' which involved an NBA ...
July 24, 2009 at 6:36 pm Friends

At Job Prior I was a business rep on the design team for the project in the article. A "$1.5 million . . . streetscaping project on a 4.5-mile stretch of the roadway, from College Avenue to Kinnickinnic River Parkway."

I've very sad to read that since I left the job the artwork has changed, as I designed one of the early logos. It seemed to fit the bill quite nicely.

F* it. The street is an economic mess, and it will take more than some new hardscaping to turn it around.
Greenfield — Some changes along South 27th Street - a $1.5 million streetscaping project, for one - are certainly going to happen.
July 24, 2009 at 8:34 pm Friends

I'm a dork.

On Baseball Think Factory there's an article about Yankees' security with the headline "Beware the Toasties". Naturally I commented with the following:

"IIRC, the New Kids on the Block have an unreleased song from the '80' entitled Toasties. Just thought I'd share."

The first comment after it: "Just thought [you would] share? Why??"
July 26, 2009 at 6:07 pm Friends

I've said before that David Tennant was in grave danger of passing Jon Pertwee as my favorite Doctor ever, and now I think it's official. Plus, after seeing the two part "Human Nature", I think I now have a new favorite episode, possibly the first that I'll ever force Lisa to sit down and watch. Best. Sci-Fi. Series. Ever.

ps. Martha Jones aka Freema Agyman . . . my word.



July 27, 2009 at 11:12 am Friends

The Journal is asking me to write a column that I'm sure would lead to (more) hate mail and serious flack. Hell, I got hate mail when I wrote about SNOW. They asked for volunteers, and when no one raised their hand she wrote me and asked if I'd please d
July 28, 2009 at 12:05 pm Friends