My cousin Wayne Konitzer died a few years ago from a very nasty melanoma. Wayne was enough younger than I am that I didnt know him very well, but my mom and dad knew him and loved him, and thats enough evidence for me that he was a good guy, and a good neighbor. After I finished my column about neighbors last week, I went back into my archives because I remembered that I had written about Waynes neighbors and the way some of his friends and neighbors came out to help him.

During his struggle with the disease and the violent chemotherapy he was struggling with, Waynes daughter Jodi had been posting almost daily updates about his battleon a website called Caring Bridge. Then one day, another posting, written by another daughter, Lori, described how a bunch of Wayne and Tooties friends had stepped in to help them get some firewood ready for the winter because Wayne was so debilitated that he couldnt possibly do the work himself. I think this story is worth repeating.

So, heres part of the narration Lori posted: WOW ... what an operation to watch! I got to Mom and Dads a little after 8 a.m. Ronnie and Margaret were already there splitting wood. About 8:45, an army of trucks pulled in with about 14 more guys with six (or more) chainsaws, four log splitters and a Bobcat to help Dad get his wood taken care of before the snow decided to fly; it was like an army invasion.

It was amazing to watch. They got out of their trucks, said hi and immediately started the task without much discussion about who was going to do what or where, they just went. There were three crews, each crew with a couple chainsaws cutting up the logs and three or four people splitting wood and loading up the trailers. The Bobcat was bringing logs to each crew. There were two 4-wheelers with trailers running from the splitters to the eight wood racks. The crew finished cutting and splitting 11 1/2 cords of logs in about 2 1/2 hours! It is extremely reassuring to know Mom and Dad have such awesome friends that keep an eye on them and would do anything to help them out.

I loved that story. Reading it not only brought a lump to my throat, it also made me flash back to my childhood on Konitzer Road when we had neighbors like that. I remembered a time when my mom was very ill and had to have some serious surgeries in a Green Bay hospital. Dad was making daily trips to be with her, and some major harvesting was getting behind schedule. One day, a company of our neighbors (led by Waynes dad, my Uncle George) rolled in with a lot of equipment, and in one day they were able to get the work done. It would have taken Dad a week or more to do it alone. Uncle George Konitzer, his brother Big John, Greg Konitzer, Jack Lutz, Bob Renel, Joe Konitzer, Willard Knaus everybody was there.

My dads credo, the law he lived by, was the golden rule. Dad was firmly convinced that good deeds would always be rewarded. My guess is that my cousin Wayne had lived by that credo, too, and he was certainly rewarded.

Curtain!

See more here:

Good neighbors and the Golden Rule - WiscNews