Sitting in a hero's chair
There is a local "club" called the ROMEOs. It is a small, informal group of Retired Old Men Eating Out, and they meet every Friday morning at the Beach Diner for breakfast and conversation. My husband Steve was one of the founding members of the ROMEOs. He loved getting together with the guys and especially enjoyed swapping stories and memories of bygone days.
In 2020, Steve became wheelchair-bound. COVID hit at about the same time, and the ROMEOs were relegated to virtual visits for the year. When the vaccines became available, they resumed their Friday morning breakfasts. I would drive Steve to the diner and pick him up when he called.
The ROMEOs found out, in 2022, that an electric wheelchair was for sale. They had noticed that Steve sometimes struggled with navigating in his manual chair, and they thought he might appreciate an electric one. After consulting me, they took up a collection from the group and purchased the chair. You can imagine Steve's surprise and gratitude when they delivered the chair to our home! With tears in his eyes, he thanked his friends for such a wonderful gift.
Now this was no ordinary chair. The man who had owned it was Rick Conner. Rick passed away and his wife Jeanne decided to sell the chair and donate the proceeds to a very special cause. Jeanne shared the following story with us:
"Rick was a bombardier in World War II, stationed in England. He flew 75 missions over France, Belgium and the Netherlands and kept the tag from the bomb from each mission. He identified each tag and eventually had them framed. His 57th mission was bombing Utah Beach on D-Day. In 2013, he was awarded the French Legion of Honor at the museum at Utah Beach. It was his wish that the bomb tags be given to this museum after he passed, so I shipped them over last fall. The museum was very happy to have them and made a special exhibit. I felt that the best use of the proceeds from his chair would be to support the museum, and I know they will put the donation to good use."
Steve was enthralled with this story and shared it with anyone who would listen. He often said, "I am sitting in a hero's chair."
The chair allowed Steve to be much more mobile. He would leave the house every Friday morning when the weather cooperated and ride to the Beach Diner in his chair. The ROMEOs bought him a bright orange flag on a pole that we attached to the chair to provide better visibility.
Steve passed away in February of this year. He never forgot the kindness of his ROMEO friends, and neither have I. They are an incredible group of men who will always have a special place in my heart.
Peggie Weeks is a 14-year resident of Fernandina Beach and a member of the non-profit organization Compassionate Fernandina. The organization's vision is "a community in which we treat each other and Earth with kindness, dignity, and respect," and the mission is "to widen the circle of compassion through practical, intentional actions." The city of Fernandina Beach issued a proclamation in 2017 and endorsed the principles of Compassionate Fernandina, joining forces with the organization "to promote compassionate actions throughout the city and to make compassion a clear and dynamic force in our world."
Peggie invites others in the community to share their stories of kindness and compassion. If you have a story you'd like to share here in the Fernandina Observer - about a neighbor or friend or business that showed you kindness - please contact her at pegweeks@gmail.com
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Editor
There are so many many treasures on our island, thanks for sharing this piece about two of them - Steve and the ROMEOS! -- Mike Lednovich
Monday, November 3 Report this
LucyP74
What a beautiful story not only of Steve, but of the gentleman who shared his chair before him. Our veterans are such vital members of society and are the quiet heroes that walk among us. Steve was the humble soul who recognized that and also appreciated his group of generous friends who wanted to improve his life! Spreading kindness like confetti in a windstorm makes the world go ‘round much better. :-)
Monday, November 3 Report this
PaulaM
Wonderful story …thank you for reminding us that there is still so much good in our world.
Monday, November 3 Report this
Jrconner
Thank you, Peggy for such a beautiful tribute to the Romeos and especially to our two very special guys. They were all heroes!
Monday, November 3 Report this
GerryC43
We lived in Fernandina for 26 years and there were several 'Romeo' groups, one my husband was in was mostly actors ... fond memories..
Monday, November 3 Report this
Jenialt
Another ROMEO’s story of kindness that has likely been forgotten happened to my father, Mike Webber. He was an “honored guest” to their group lunch several years ago. During the lunch someone noticed that dad seemed to be having some sort of medical problem. He was drifting off, losing focus and speaking nonsense. They notified me at work immediately and drove him home where I met them. Things moved rapidly from there. 911 was called, an ambulance arrived that took him to the local hospital where he coded but survived. A transfer to Baptist Jax and the implant of a pacemaker followed by a week long stay in the hospital ended with a medi-vac flight back to Canada. My dad has passed now, but he enjoyed 2 more precious and active years after that, all thanks to the quick thinking of these wonderful guys.
Monday, November 3 Report this