The pillar of Palmerton
Last Wednesday, the Times News published a Thanksgiving story I wrote about a man named Geno Roberts. The story honored his wish to thank the people of Palmerton for their outpouring of kindness toward him in return for his lifelong service to their community.
Just a few hours after the newspaper reached the stands, the stores, and the home deliveries, this pillar of Palmerton passed away. His heart succumbed to the combined consequences of 49 medical procedures, a double leg amputation, and a near fatal vehicular accident.Although he could not stand up during the last few years of his life, Geno Roberts was a giant amongst men.He spent his life coaching kids how to play basketball, baseball and football. He and his brother built dugouts, a concession stand, and a weight room at the high school and never charged a nickel for their time and labor. In fact, whatever Geno could do for people, he did it, asking for nothing in return.There's an old saying that some people come into our lives for a brief time and leave a lasting impression while others are with us for years and never have an impact. I never met Geno Roberts in person. My entire relationship with him was a 45-minute phone interview we had a few Fridays ago. He and I had an instant comfort level with each other during the interview. We spoke as if we had been friends for years.In a country bulging at its borders with egomaniacs whose sense of charity stops at the end of their own noses, Geno exemplified the definition of selflessness. He was uncomfortable talking about himself, but he raved about his wife, Cindy, his children, and his community. After my initial phone contact, I told him that I would call to do the story after I returned from a trip to North Carolina. He said, "You and your family be safe," simple words that held their significance with me because I could feel that they came from a man who truly meant them.My friend Mike and I have had this conversation in which we talk about the irony of good people dying way too young, while so many undesirables live until a ripe old age, making others miserable. I've come to think that maybe it's supposed to be this way. Geno touched so many lives before he left this world far too soon. Perhaps his mission was completed, his purpose fulfilled.His lessons come by the way he lived. Give of yourself. Love the children. Appreciate what you have.President Woodrow Wilson wrote, "You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to live more amply, with greater vision, with finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."Geno certainly did not forget his errand. We should all take a step back and pause a moment to reflect about his message. "Money don't mean anything to me," he had said. "It's the people. Just the people."Despite his failing health, he never lost his spirit for life. His service to his community set an example for us. When we help others, we are given the gift of gratitude that sustains our human condition and keeps the joy of living in our hearts."Life is about choices," Geno said to me. "You have to live with those choices."He explained that if you we make bad choices, you have to accept the consequences. Make good choices and good things come to not only you, but to everyone around you.When asked to reflect upon his life that had had so many terrible misfortunes, he said, "The positive far out weighs the negative."Geno urges us to stop complaining about what we don't have. As trite as it may sound, at the end of every day, what we do have is each other.My time with Geno Roberts may have been very brief, but his legacy will remain with me forever.Give of yourself. Love the children. Appreciate what you have.Rich Strack can be reached at