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Holiday 2017
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Eddie’s
Suitcase
by
Dennis J. Truett
H
ave you ever needed to write an essay on a person who most influenced
your life? Back in Parochial high school I had to. I probably wrote about some
priest or saint just because I wanted a good mark. Later in life I realize there
was actually someone who did influence my character and who I am. I should
have written about him then. That person was Eddie… Eddie Graffner.
To accurately describe my friend Eddie in one word, I would have to say he
was a “Gypsy”. He was a 70 year old local handyman, who worked in Florida in
the winter and New York in the summer. My Mom always said he had “Hands
of Gold” because he could build or fix anything. He didn’t own anything but his
car with all his belongings in it. The car itself was a 1950 Hudson Hornet, out
of which he had taken the back seat to make room for all his tools. His wheel