John's jokes

DOWNEY - I don't know what I'm going to say Monday at John Adams' memorial service at Downey Adult School. I'm going to say a few words, but I'm not sure what.John wasn't the type to get overly sentimental. The closest I saw him get to crying was when Barbaro shattered a leg and broke down at the Preakness Stakes in 2006. John was sincerely devasted -- he had put money on that horse. Whatever I say Monday, you can bet it's not going to be sappy. John would not have liked that. In fact, he's probably upset we put him on the front cover last week. Had it been up to him, his obituary would have been buried in the Classified page. Buried in the Classified page. Get it? John told me that once. John was a jokester, a huckster. I think he was secretly a daredevil also. When he had a job delivering cars up north, he would take them to the desert and race them. He didn't last long at that job. We went to breakfast once at the Nordic Fox. He ordered at T-bone steak and baked potato. It was 7 a.m. Sometimes we receive gifts here at the office. I'm adamant at returning them, in the interest of staying neutral. John mostly agreed, unless they were chocolates. Neutrality went out the window. John's frank mannerisms and compassion for people, especially children, touched those who knew him. His memory will live on forever. ********** Published: January 30, 2009 - Volume 7 - Issue 41