LINDA COIL

This fascinating post is a result of my putting the above picture on Facebook. My long-time Facebook friend, Linda Coil, commented, saying, "They were the best of friends. When they died they were cremated and their ashes were both spread at the same location in the desert so they could be together as well. Wally was also one of my dad's best friends and Wally was in fact with us at the beach the day my dad died."

I was thrilled that someone actually knew Wally Cox, the star of my favorite TV show of all time, Mister Peepers! And it was the father of my friend Linda. She's the author of the most enjoyable book I've read on Bigfoot, Who's Watching You? It's because of our mutual interest in the Sasquatch (I had what I believe to be a Bigfoot encounter in the early 1970's), and the fact that we have a mutual friend in Bellingham, Washington, that Linda Coil and I became Facebook friends.

Linda, who was born on October 11, 1951, then sent me more stories of the lives of her and her family in emails, and I wondered how she could have kept these experiences under her hat all this time.  For sure I couldn't, and so Linda was gracious enough to let me tell you about them here.

She added some detail about the ashes of Wally Cox and Marlon Brando. "Wally Cox died in 1973, and his ashes were saved until Marlon died in 2004. Then both their ashes were spread at the same spot in Death Valley. Not sure why they chose that spot, something between the two of them they must have decided to do one day for their own personal reasons."  And she sent me a picture of her dad, Albert Coil, in the Navy at Pearl Harbor in the late 1950's. In front of Albert is a pile of hats, and next to him sits his friend, Wally Cox. The two of them met in the Navy, and here were celebrating the birth of Albert Coil's daughter, Linda.

Albert Coil also knew General Douglas MacArthur personally.  When I was in the Army, stationed in South Korea in 1969, I heard many Koreans expressing their admiration for this great general. "MacArthur was one of my dad's heroes," Linda writes. "He landed on the beach in Inchon, Korea with him during the war, side by side. We always had a huge picture of MacArthur hanging on the wall, and he became my hero, too. After I got out of high school, I went to Korea, about the same time you were there, and stood right at the spot where they landed at Inchon. There's a stone marker and plaque there. I raised my arms in the air and said, 'I have returned!' in reference to MacArthur's 'I shall return' quote, of course."

Linda came from quite a family. In her book, Who's Watching You?, she writes about her maternal grandmother's fascinating encounters with Bigfoot -- my favorite part -- and it was this same grandmother who befriended the outlaw, John Dillinger. Dillinger became more notorious than even Bonnie and Clyde, and it was because of him that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was founded.  Linda writes, "My grandma, when young, was friends with John Dillinger. They met when she was walking the ten miles to school. He came along in a car, stopped and asked if she needed a ride. This was back in the days when people with bad intentions were rare. It was also rare to own a car, and most people who did offered rides to others who needed one, because it was just the thing to do. She and Dillinger talked for a bit, and she decided she could trust him for some reason and took the ride. At the school he told her he would be coming this way around this time every day for a while, so would look for her again. And just as promised, for weeks he came down that road every day and gave her a ride to school. She said he was a very nice man, well mannered and funny. They became friends. She knew his name as John Dillinger, but had not heard about his history until the day he was shot and killed. Regardless of his reputation, she, for one, cried. She always had good thoughts and things to say about him."

About her mom and this same grandmother, Linda writes, "Those two women may have singlehandedly begun and encouraged the illegal smuggling and crossing of Mexicans into this country. After my father died we were very strapped for money to survive. There was no social services to go to for help, nor was it easy for a woman to find a job in those days, when all a woman could really hope for was to become a nurse, a secretary or a waitress. Grandma got some seasonal work in fish and vegetable canneries, and my mom babysat or they both took in other people's laundry to iron. But it was never really enough for rent in California and for food. So to supplement, at least once a month they would drive the old convertible down to Mexico and, for $40 a head, stuff as many Mexicans as they could, sometimes as many as five or six, into that big trunk. Then they'd drive through the border, flirting with the border patrol men as they were both extremely attractive women, and slip right through. They'd drive out to the desert and set the Mexicans free in America.

"One time they fit as many as they could in the trunk, with one left over. He begged and begged not to be left behind, so they had him crawl under the car and somehow tied him up to the undercarriage and told him to hang on. He survived the trip. Another time they had a bad exhaust leak in the car. When finally crossing the border and arriving at their drop off spot, they opened the trunk and all five Mexicans inside were unconscious!  They almost killed them all! But in the end they all lived.

"In those days rent was around $40 a month, so they'd make the rent money, plus. Most the Mexicans were picked up later and taken by bus back to Mexico, where Mom and Grandma would find them again next time and for another forty bucks bring them back again.

"One time Grandma needed a cesspool dug and couldn't afford to hire anyone, so they made another trip down to Mexico and offered to bring three men over in exchange for them digging the pool. They took the men home to stay with them, letting them stay in the barn until the job was done. While at it, the men did other fix-it jobs around the place in exchange for Grandma's good cooking before they moved on.

"There are many more stories of the things they did to survive; a whole book in itself could be written about the adventures of these two women. They were like your Thelma & Louise, or Laverne & Shirley, depending on how you looked at them."

Linda's dad was a race car driver living in California,  and so met and befriended many famous people along the way. "My mom and dad knew all kinds of stars," writes Linda, "My mom and dad died very young, or I might know many stars now. They did however all know me as a child."

All of the people Linda talks about are familiar to me, but I realize a lot of readers nowadays may not know some of them, like Lenny Bruce. Lenny Bruce was a stand-up comedian, famous for the controversial obscenity in his comedy which more than once got him in trouble with the law. He's author of the 1960's bestselling book, How to Talk Dirty and Influence People, his autobiography. In his obscenity trial which forced him into bankruptcy, Lenny was eventually found not guilty, and this is seen as a landmark trial for freedom of speech. He died at 40 from a drug overdose. Since then there was a popular movie made about his life -- "Lenny," starring Dustin Hoffman.

Linda writes, "Lenny Bruce was my dad's very best friend. He was the best man at my parents' wedding, and even went with them on their honeymoon! They were married in Mexico and went somewhere there to celebrate. They then headed off to Jefferson, Iowa to surprise my dad's family with his new wife. Somehow they wound up in the desert and decided to stay the night in their car -- my mom and dad in the back seat, and Lenny in the front. The desert was all blocked off and secured for the A-Bomb testing; they never were sure how they got through, but they did. In the early morning they were awakened by rumbling, the car shaking, and an extremely loud explosion, with the windows of the car imploding and shattering everywhere! There was an extremely bright flash of light, but thankfully they never looked directly at it. They did look out to see the huge mushroom cloud though. The car started and they tried to drive away, but were suddenly surrounded by all kinds of military vehicles and men who had a lot of questions for them. They were spirited off to some military location and questioned through the night, as well as being taken to some kind of hospital and run through a bunch of tests. They were then asked not to speak of their experience to anyone! Although years later they blabbed to everyone! My mom later died of cancer, at age 31, that she blamed on that incident. My dad and Lenny may have as well, but died of other causes too soon to tell.

"I do know that Lenny tried all his jokes out on my dad, and also know Lenny got some of his material from my dad, who was a very funny fellow himself. Lenny and Wally used to tell my dad he needed to go into comedy himself, but no, my dad's dream was to become a homocide detective! He was also working on starting an import-export business. That was his thing, as well as hot rods and racing cars. He was big into that and knew everyone on the California racing circuit. I'm thinking he may have known James Dean, as the name has always been so familiar to me, but I can't say for sure."

Leo Gorcey

Probably few of you know of the Bowery Boys, or the Eastside Kids, originating as the Dead End Kids. This was a very popular series of films in the '40's and '50's, and I loved watching these movies on TV when I was a kid. Huntz Hall played my favorite character, but the leader of the gang was played by Leo Gorcey.  Linda writes, "Leo Gorcey was a good friend of my mother's side of the family -- Grandma, Mom, and Aunt Ginny. He hung out at their house a lot, and Mom did a lot with him, in San Pedro, California where they lived at the time during high school. This was before I was born."

Nick Adams

But "I remember many stars coming by to visit, as well as going to their homes," writes Linda. "I thought nothing of their stardom really, just knew them as family friends. I'd see Wally Cox on TV and think nothing of it. I'd just judge how he did so I could tell him what a good job he did. I thought nothing of his or others' stardom, as if I thought everyone had friends on TV, too, and that it was just normal. The only stars I was starstuck by were ones I didn't know and wanted to know, like the Lone Ranger and Hopalong Cassidy.

Martin Milner

"Some of the stars I remember coming to the house were Nick Adams of Johnny Yuma The Rebel fame, and Martin Milner on the Route 66 show [later starred in Adam-12]. Martin liked hot cocoa and once took me to a Denny's for some. There were other stars that I don't remember the names of, but see and recognize them every now and then on some of the spooky old B movies. I've always wondered if my dad was friends with Marlon Brando. He must have known him through Wally, but if so, I don't remember him.

Robert Mitchum

"There used to be a place down on the beach in Long Beach, California called The Pike, a popular amusement park. A lot of old movies were made there. It was my favorite place to go and hang out. Once my mom took me there and introduced me to Robert Mitchum, who was there filming a movie. What I remember about him was how tall he was and the dimple in his chin, which I stuck my finger into, saying, 'My mom loves your dimple in your chin,' of which my mom said, 'Linda!' He only laughed. He was a very, very nice man. I've always had a crush on him myself. Andy Devine was a good friend of my dad and Uncle Harry's. I always loved his voice and laugh. Nice, nice man he was, too.

Walt Disney, on the
opening day of Disneyland

"Because of some of the people my parents and grandmother knew, in 1955 we somehow got free tickets to opening day at Disneyland. Walt Disney was there, and picked me up and held me during some of his speech. Somewhere in the Disneyland archives is a photo of him holding me. It used to be hung in a frame inside the Abraham Lincoln exhibit, but last time I was there I didn't see it, only a lot of other, large-framed photos of that day.

Tex Ritter

"My grandma knew and dated Tex Ritter. At one point they became engaged and he gave her a ring and a mink coat, which was the thing back in those days. In the late '50's and early '60's, Tex opened a dance hall in Compton, California, called 'Tex Ritter's Town Hall.' It was like a mini Grand Old Opry type of place, and every Saturday night it was broadcast on TV. The first night Grandma took my mom and I to watch and meet Tex, I was 9-years-old. Tex was on stage, singing solo, while Grandma stood by the bar and said out loud that she wondered if he sees her and knows she's there. So I took it upon myself to run up to the edge of the stage, and when he finished his song I looked up at him, pointed, and yelled, 'Tex, see my grandma? She's over there. See her?' Little did I know that he wasn't yet finished with his set. Neither did I know this was being filmed live on TV! But Tex decided to make this moment a part of the show, and reached down to pull me up on stage with him. He bent down on his knees, put the microphone up to me, and began to ask me questions such as my name and age and who I was here with. I said, 'My grandma! You know, see her over there?' Then he asked me if I knew any country songs, and I said, 'Sure, we listen all the time, and my grandma taught me how to yodel!' So he invited me to sing a song with him, my choice. I chose my favorite at the time, Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me. He told the band to hit it and we sang. After that song he asked me who my favorite singer was, and I told him Hank Williams. He asked if I knew any Hank Williams songs, and I said of course -- Love Sick Blues! He asked if I wanted to sing it for the audience, and gave me the mike. So I sang to my heart's content. When finished I got a standing ovation! Long story short, after his show he came to my mom and grandma and asked them if I could be a regular on his show, and for a whole year I was. They had western costumes and dresses made just for me, and I got to sing with many guest country singers on the show, including Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, and Minnie Pearl.

John Ritter, grown up

"Tex's son, John Ritter [later to star in Three's Company, etc.] would come most Saturday nights to watch his dad perform, and so of course I got to meet and become friends with him as well as with his older brother who was in a wheelchair. John and I would sit up at the bar and his dad would order us Dr. Peppers to drink, and Black Jack gum. There was dancing during the shows and John and I would dance every dance we could. The TV camera guy would put us on camera, as I guess we were cute and the only children there. Sometimes we would bring his brother onto the dance floor and spin him around in his wheelchair so he could join in the dances, too. He liked that. I remember John had a knee problem of some kind and at that time had a brace on his knee. Sometimes I'd ask him to show it to me, as I thought it was pretty cool, and he would oblige. Even though we were only around 10-years-old at the time, one night John told me he really liked me and wanted to know if I would be his girlfriend. I said, 'Sure, I like you too, so okay.' And then we began to hold hands when we sat with our Dr. Peppers. Had my mom not got the cancer and I was sent to Washington, I think I may have become a country singer, and maybe would have known John into my teenage years.

Tennessee Ernie Ford

"I also sang with Tennessee Ernie Ford. I didn't care for him though. My Aunt Ginny used to be his babysitter, and more than once he came home early without his wife and drunk, and would try to hit on and chase my aunt around the house. My grandma stopped her from babysitting anymore, and I heard her say that Ernie Ford was a bad man and a cradle robber. Once while he was performing at Tex Ritter's Town Hall, I told him, 'I don't like you 'cause you chased my Aunt Ginny around the table and you're a bad man!'

Roddy McDowall

"Aunt Ginny's first boyfriend was Roddy McDowall, and she still talks about him. They were very much in love and engaged to be married. What went wrong unfortunately I was never told. Aunt Ginny was a model and very beautiful in those days. Also, she wrote the old song, Smoke Smoke Smoke that Cigarette. If you don't know it, it goes on like: 'Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette
Puff, puff, puff and if you smoke yourself to death
Tell St. Peter at the Golden Gate that you hate to make him wait
But you just gotta have another cigarette.'
She wrote this song when she was around 17, then took it to Tennessee Ernie Ford to show it to him, and he stole it and put it out as his own. It became a huge hit and he made a lot of money off of it. She should have sued, and to this day is still steamed about it. That's another thing I said to him at Town Hall that day. I told him, 'And you stole my Aunt Ginny's song!' His answer was, 'I didn't steal it, she gave it to me!' I said, 'No she didn't! You stole it!' Tennessee Ernie Ford always thought of me as a little brat.

John Wayne

"John Wayne was a good friend of my dad and Uncle Harry -- something to do with them knowing each other from Iowa. John's middle name happens to be Marion, which is also my dad's middle name, maybe having something to do with Marion County, Iowa. That's just my guess. The three of them used to go fishing together on John's boat. Even after my dad passed away, Uncle Harry and John went a lot. They liked to go swordfish fishing, catch the fish, take a picture, then turn them loose back to the sea. John wanted to go to my dad's funeral. Tons of people attended, including two ship loads of sailors. But John stayed away so as not to distract from the services.

"Wally Cox, also one of my dad's best friends, was with us at the beach the day my dad drowned there while scuba diving. After it happened, Wally came by the house and asked my mom to marry him, as he took it upon himself to take care of his best friend's wife -- the way they thought in those days. My mom turned him down. All the while, I was hiding behind the couch and heard it all. He even got down on one knee. They never did know I was there.

President Richard Nixon

"My dad's brother, Uncle Harry, knew personally seven different presidents -- enough to go fishing and partying with them!  Nixon and he would get drunk together and he'd ask Uncle Harry for advice on running the country! Truth! Uncle Harry is still around, and I want to write a book about his experiences.

"After my mom passed away, my grandma took care of me. She finished raising me. Aunt Ginny's husband got stationed in Washington State with the Coast Guard for a while. They had three kids and needed Grandma to come babysit and help out. That's how we moved to Washington.

Bing Crosby

"Another thing I remember is the time I met Bing Crosby. I was 14-years-old and was visiting cousins down in California. We decided to walk to Knotts Berry Farm for the day. We stayed too long and had to walk back, about five miles or more, in the dark. As we were passing this isolated, closed business (some business to do with films) a fancy little sports car pulled up and out stepped a slender man wearing a plaid fedora hat and holding a few large round film cans in his hands.  He said, 'Hello, ladies.' I recognized him and his voice immediately and said, 'I know you!' But for the best of me I couldn't remember his name! He laughed and said, 'Nah, you don't know me. Who do you think I am?' I answered, 'You're that guy like Bob Hope!' He said, 'Oh no you don't! Don't associate me with that character!' I said, 'I can't think of your name but I know who you are. You're like Bob Hope and Fred Astaire!' He said, 'Ouch! Why do you keep comparing me to people like that?' and he laughed. So I asked if I could have his autograph (so I'd know who he was) and he asked me if I had a piece of paper. All I had was my ticket for Knotts Berry Farm, so he signed that and said he had to be on his way but it was really nice meeting us. I tried to read the signature but couldn't make it out! When we finally made it home, I ran straight into Grandma and showed her the ticket and told her all about the man we met that's like Bob Hope. She read the ticket and suddenly said, 'Oh my word, it says Bing Crosby!' And I said, 'That's it! That's his name! I knew it was him!'

Andre the Giant

"When I was 15, I went up to Playland in Canada, an amusement park. They had a great wooden roller coaster I liked to ride over and over again. Anyway, while there this one summer, I met in a private meeting with just him and me, Andre the Giant. At that time he went by a different name, before he became known as the Giant. He was in a tent as a sort of sideshow attraction.

"Growing up in Long Beach near the Pike, I was familiar with sideshows of every kind, and my heart went out to the people on exhibit and the taunting they would receive from many ignorant people. I also knew how hard it was for them to support themselves in that day and age, and why they chose to be put on display.

"I first paid my dollar and went in to see Andre with a bunch of other spectators. He was sitting up in a chair, a huge chair, and was billed as some kind of a giant freak. I remember his face and eyes. He seemed so sad while the barker presented him as some sort of freak. He wasn't at all. I could see the kindness in his eyes, and it bothered me that he was on display like this.

"When the show was over and everyone was gone, including his barker, I went back and peeked in the tent. Andre was lying down and relaxing on a cot. I knocked and asked if I could come in for a minute. He said, 'Yes, yes, come in.' I told him I knew he didn't belong with such a job as this, and knew he was sad having to do this, and knew he must have to do this kind of thing for money, and that I just wanted him to know that I thought he was very handsome and kind and wish I was his friend. He sat right up and asked me to come sit beside him. He had a very strong accent, yet I understood everything he said. He began to tell me where he was from, a small village in France where life was very hard, and that he came to America to find his future, and no he wasn't happy doing what he was doing right now, but he had hopes that one day he could break free from this job and become something more. He thanked me for caring and showing him some kindness, and before I left he hugged me and gave me a present. He took the big, gold band off of his finger and gave it to me. I remember it was so big I could almost put my whole hand through it!

"The day did finally come for Andre when he got away from the sideshow business and became famous in his own right, and I know lived the rest of his years very happy and successful. I really loved this guy."

Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant

"As a teenager I had a serious crush on Micky Dolenz of the Monkees' fame. I had all their records, watched every one of their shows and had pictures of Micky all over the walls. I used to write my name on my PeeChees and books as Linda Dolenz, as I had plans to marry him one day. When I was about 16, I made a trip down to California with my Grandma and Grandpa. With Grandma's help we had found Micky's home address and I had Grandpa deliver me just outside the gate of his home. I had bought a pair of trick handcuffs and cuffed myself to his front gate and waited. There was a camera and an intercom system on the gate that I didn't pay attention to until I suddenly heard Micky's voice come over the intercom. He simply said, "GO AWAY!" I cried, "Micky, I know that's you! I can't go away, I love you and need to talk with you, it's important!" He only answered "Go away" several more times. Finally a man came to the gate and told me Micky says to go away. I told him I wasn't going anywhere until I speak to Micky! And the man then told me that Micky was gone, that he had left out the back gate. I was devastated. I always felt that Micky was too scared to meet with me. If he had met with me, I was prepared to propose to him that day, so it was his loss. I never did get the name Dolenz, nor did I get to bear his children as I had planned, and it's all his fault."

Washington State is infamous for its share of serial killers, including Ted Bundy and the Hillside Strangler, Ken Bianchi. I worked at the Bellingham City Hall during some of this time, sharing a break room with the Police Department, and so overheard many gruseome stories about these murderers, even getting to look over shoulders at a videotape of Ted Bundy being interviewed by his psychiatrist.  Psychiatrist: "Was she still alive at this time?" Bundy, chuckling, "Oh yes, she was very much alive." So when I read Linda Coil's next story, I shuddered.

Kenneth Bianchi,
the Hillside Strangler

Linda writes, "I once dated Kenneth Bianchi, of Hillside Strangler fame. Yep, back in Bellingham while he was working as a security guard at Fred Meyers, and just before he killed the two girls there.

"I first met him one night at the Good Time Charley's nightclub there in Bellingham. We made eye contact from clear across the room, and before I knew it he was at my table asking if he could sit and buy me a drink. He was very charming, and I found myself agreeing to a date one night. He began to call every day, and one night we went out to dinner and dancing. Later we stopped at my friend Kim's house where we partied with Kim and her friends and listened to new music by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. My friend Kim was very taken by Kenneth and made me promise that if I found I wasn't interested to please hook her up with him.

"When he took me home that night, he came in for a little bit to say goodnight. We sat across from each other at the kitchen table; for me it was a safe place so I could make sure I didn't give him any other ideas. While talking at the table, somehow we got around to our parents, particularly our mothers. He hadn't seen his for a while or she had died, I forget exactly, but it was during this discussion that he began to change and things got weird. In an instant his whole demeanor changed, as if he had a split personality. He suddenly seemed to become a different person. His eyes became distant and empty, his voice changed, and his speech became slower and serious. He rambled on some things I couldn't really understand; the things I did make out however were weird, things about hating his mother, wishing her dead or being glad she's dead, something to that effect. He complained about the people he worked for who don't understand him, and how he should never have left California, and that a lot of people are going to be sorry he had to. I immediately began to feel the need for him to go, as he instantly began to creep me out. I made an excuse about being really tired all of a sudden and that he really needed to leave now. He asked me why, and just sat there staring at me. This made me get up and go to the door, asking him to please leave now. I remember I wanted him gone now! He finally left with the promise to call me the next day.

"He was just too weird for me. The next day I called my friend Kim and told her about him, but for some reason she was still interested in meeting him again. So when he called me that day, I told him about Kim and her interest in him, and it worked. I gave him her phone number and got out of having to date him again or tell him why I wouldn't. He then hooked up with Kim and they began to date. For Kim this lasted only a few weeks, before she found him too weird as well.

"Months later Kenneth Bianchi was arrested for the murders of the two girls there in Bellingham. I was not really shocked. Then months or weeks afterwards, while his trial was still going on, his current girlfriend somehow got a hold of Kim's number and called her. Somehow she lured Kim to a hotel room in downtown Bellingham. What she said to get her there I no longer recall, but whatever it was worked and Kim showed up. When she did, this girlfriend of Kenneth tried to kill Kim in the same manner the two girls were murdered, to make it look like Kenneth was innocent and the real killer was still loose. It didn't work. Thankfully Kim got away, the woman was caught, and the plan exposed. I've always tended to believe that Kenneth himself came up with this plan, and always thought if not Kim that could have been me. Although I can't believe I would have actually shown up like poor Kim unfortunately did.

"My maternal grandfather, Clarence Grace, and I were very close. We lived with him before and after my dad passed away. He was a longshoreman truck driver in Long Beach, and made a lot of money -- $500 a month, which was a lot! That was back when you could buy a week's worth of groceries for only $5. When other kids would brag about how much money their dads made, I would brag about how much my grandpa made -- always more than their dads.

Haystacks Calhoun

"Grandpa was also a pro wrestler. My mom didn't approve, but sometimes he would take me down to the gym where they worked out, and sometimes to this big auditorium down by the Pike in Long Beach, where they held the matches that were televised. He once introduced me to Haystacks Calhoun! He also wrestled Haystacks in a few tag team matches, Grandpa and another fella against Haystacks alone. They always lost.  I learned my best swear words from the wrestlers and Grandpa, as well as from the longshoremen down at the hall where he would also sometimes take me. Grandpa also occasionally took me in his truck for runs -- once to San Fransisco where we went over what they called the Grapevine. It was a very steep, long, dangerous drive through the mountains back before there was an I-5 freeway. The road was steep, narrow, and along cliffs. But I was never afraid. I trusted my grandpa's driving! He would also teach me how to drive a truck as much as he could.

Linda Coil
in her late thirties

"I remember once while driving back through the Grapevine I told him I wished I could be a truck driver when I grow up. Sadly in those days a girl knew her career choices were very slim, or she could only dream of one day getting married. I've never forgotten my grandpa's answer to this; He told me, 'Linda, listen to me. This world is a'changin'. It's going to become a woman's world, and by the time you grow up you can be anything you want to be -- a police officer, a firefighter, a lawyer, a doctor, or even a truck driver if that's what you want!' I responded, 'Are you sure grandpa?'  and he answered, 'I promise you.'  He was ever so right, and I did become a teamster and a truck driver myself! Almost everyday while driving down a road, I would shift through the gears and look up and say, 'There ya go, grandpa, this is for you!'"

Thank you so much, Linda, for sharing these wonderful experience of your life and allowing us to live them with you! As I publish this here for all to read, I imagine with a smile that I hear you say, "There ya go, world, this is for you!"

Albert Marion Coil, and his daughter Linda

NOTE:

My good friend, Linda Coil, passed away Saturday morning, October 1, 2016.  I like to envision her finally dancing with her daddy again.

For further adventures of Linda Coil, see:
It's for the Orphans - the Story of a Notorious International Thief

______

For the complete contents of the Butter Rum Cartoon, click here.