Does a good man’s life end at his death?
The answer for daughter Lisa Reinicke was, “No.” Her father was known by many names: Buster, Bill, Billy, Dad, and the Football Flyboy. His deeds, no matter how small, should be passed down to family, friends, and anyone looking for inspiration, and life-lessons from one who worked, lived and part of the Greatest Generation. The Football Flyboy was young, newlywed and a pilot in WWII. He was a good man.
One weekend morning, she determined that his spirit should not stay silent just because his mouth could no longer speak words. “I open my dad’s old air force footlocker - still solid, battleship grey, weathered, and a little rough from travel and age. His name is in white lettering on the front: First Lt William R Cannon.”
What she discovered were yellowed envelopes bound in twine - hundreds of them - that her father had written to her mother. Letters written daily during the last year of WWII and received by his bride. Her daily letters disappeared - only three times during the year, did the “mailman” catch up with him and teased with just a few of the hundreds.
“Before reaching inside, there was a feeling of the hands of time grabbing onto my heart, knowing that this was such a huge part of not only his life but my mom’s as well.”
Meet Bill “Buster” Cannon, the Football Flyboy … a good man with a good life who made a difference.
Lisa Reinicke is the majority holder of Our House Publications and author of 4 published children’s picture books for sale on Amazon and independent book stores. Lisa was honored with the Mom's Choice Gold Award for lifetime literary excellence for her children's book "Wings and Feet in 2017. She is a storyteller and author of 35 children’s stories appearing on local TV shows, elementary schools, and bookstores. The stories have been published in 3 collective recordings for distribution for A Goodnight Sleep Company. She also produced online (virtual) training for service advisors and technicians. Lisa served as head writer and on-camera talent in the videos. Her books are entertaining yet focus on social issues that engage children and parents to discuss. Her four children were all uniquely different ranging from physical differences, adoption, and physiological disorders that lead her following experts in each field to help children overcome the stigma around being different.
Lisa passionately works raising money for charities that improve children’s lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Well we all know someone like that right? Every family has one of those. For the Cannon family it was Aunt Gladys, who was fondly known as Glad-Ass.
She was a fainter. She could faint on cue, and do it beautifully. She wore caftans that flowed around her big body. In the south we called the muumuus. They were always bright colored with bold designs. Her’s were made of silk from China. She always had a bunch of China junk because her secret husband dealt in foreign trade.
She would suddenly announce, “I think I am going to faint, Sugar.” Then sure enough she would slowly fold softly on to the floor spreading her caftan around herself in a perfect puddle.
The family got so they would just step around her and go on visiting as if nothing happened, but Glad-Ass continued to faint adding to their pleasure.
Book Excerpt
Football Flyboy: First Lt. Bill Cannon, Piloting More than His Own Aircraft
Aunt Gladys would be at every family gathering. Indeed, she was quite the character. Gladys had enormous boobs that she would suffocate each of my cousins and me with when she hugged us. We hated it because our faces were always just that height to get the full impact of the smothering monsters as she pulled each of us in. I can hear her announcing herself as she entered the house, “Sugar, your Aunt Glad-Ass is here.”
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