I woke up this morning around 5:50am. My actions were probably similar to most of yours. I reached over and checked my phone for the time, then glanced at any notifications I might have on social media, and as I made my way to the bathroom, I checked my email. It’s part of our lives and for some of us, it’s part of our job. The only thing different this morning was it was another “first” for our family. A first day without someone. My father-in-law passed away yesterday at his home. Almost exactly 24 hours to the minute we stood in his living room holding hands, praying, as my wife’s father, James Donald Ganus, left this world.
Mr. Ganus was born on March 20th, 1937 in Andalusia, Alabama. He’s a part of a generation of men and women that experienced much and contributed much more. Most people called him “Don” but the grandchildren called him “Bubba” and of course, we “the adults” followed suit. I wanted this blog to be more upbeat today. I’m not minimizing the heartbreak of losing someone you cherish. We all have or will at some point in this life. Today, I’m going to keep it light and keep it bright.
I met Mr. Ganus on the baseball diamond because that’s where I met his daughter. The three of us had a love for the game, only, Mr. Ganus, had played professional baseball for 9 seasons. Bubba was a pro! There is no doubt in my mind that God gives us all a dose of something special. For some it seems He gives a few doses. For “Bubba”, he gave him the all out athletic, baller, eye hand coordination that every athlete would desire.
He graduated Andalusia high school in 1955. He was short, but he was tough, fast, and excelled in sports. For his time, and his era, he accomplished much. We were able to see him elected to the Andalusia High School Hall of Fame just a few years ago. His senior year ( 1955) he was offered a football scholarship to play for the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide, and I believe he was also offered a scholarship to play for Mississippi State. He opted to play professional baseball with the Milwaukee Braves and was drafted out of high school. I like to explain to younger kids that they didn’t have “free agency” back then. Bubba did really well and his stats looked very good, but after 9 seasons he came home to Alabama and found a good woman ( yes, I’m trying to score more brownie points with my mother-in-law….lol ) . He settled down, started a career with Liberty National Insurance Company, and started a family. …..He married Barbara Kimbro, from Dozier, Al, and soon had two girls, Kim and Sandi.
Mr. Ganus’s athletic ability didn’t end after pro baseball. He took up golf and became a scratch golfer on both sides of the ball. Yes, he could play just as well right handed as he could left handed. He won a few golf tournaments, and enjoyed competition. That’s just one of things he passed on to his girls. Both of them are competitive and athletically inclined. He believed in competition, free markets, and fairness. Whatever he did, it was 100%. I’m going to leave you with just one of many “Bubba” stories, and I bet some part of it will remind you of someone in your life.
Like I said, I met Sandi, my wife, when I was 13 years old, and soon met her Dad. Mr. Ganus had a firm hand shake, and the phrase, “Hey partner, how are doing?” He was intimidating to a young teenager. Growing up in a small town in the summers we had one thing and that was baseball. We had a small park with a few fields and it served as a gathering spot for teenagers. it wasn’t long till they built a small batting cage. We would turn up the speed to 80 to 85 miles per hour to see who could hit it. It came at you from a short distance too. Mr. Ganus volunteered to come by and give me and my buddy, Jeff Conway, a hitting lesson. He had watched a few of our games.
So, we met him at the batting cage one hot, south Alabama, summer day. He showed up in his business suit, and dress shoes. We looked at other like, really? This is the guy that played pro ball ?, that’s gonna show us how to hit ? He was very confident and smooth. He took off his tie, took off his coat, and walked into the cage wearing his dress pants and dress shoes. He looked at us and said, “crank it up as high as it will go”. We did just that, and then the first pitch meet a well swung bat that roped it down the first base line. He was batting left handed. He proceeded to do the same thing to every pitch that came his way. He hit shot after shot. It seemed effortless and consistent.
When he finished, he said, “ I had to show you, so you would listen”. Keep in mind, he was around 47 years old at that time ( which ain’t old by the way..:). But, needless to say, he wasn’t 27, and probably hadn’t swung a baseball bat in 20 years.
We had a few things in common. We had a handful of things we felt different about, but these are some of the things that are unshakable. We both love baseball, love Jesus, love the Alabama Crimson Tide, and we both love one girl very much. He was one of kind, and we’re gonna miss him.
Till then….Love you, Love you Big!
