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When David Shea's mother died in the early 1980s, he decided to move back home to help out his father. David Shea didn't know much about his father until one Memorial Day when Denny Shea took his son along for a ride to the cemetery. It was there that Denny Shea introduced his son to the people who had made a difference in his own past. Denny Shea, a veteran of World War II, died in 1995 at the age of 73. David decorates his father's grave each Memorial Day.
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Piece Description
When David Shea's mother died in the early 1980s, he decided to move back home to help out his father. David Shea didn't know much about his father until one Memorial Day when Denny Shea took his son along for a ride to the cemetery. It was there that Denny Shea introduced his son to the people who had made a difference in his own past. Denny Shea, a veteran of World War II, died in 1995 at the age of 73. David decorates his father's grave each Memorial Day.
Broadcast History
NPR's Morning Edition May 23, 2008
Transcript
DS: After my mother died, I'd moved home to live with my father, and one of the things I noticed early on was that he had all these small coffee cans lined up in the garage. And I said to him one day, "Dad, you know, wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a larger can of coffee and have less garbage?" And he'd say, "Oh, leave me alone. It's just, never you mind. It's my house. I do what I want." Anyway, they kept stacking up in the garage and the day before Memorial Day he said, "I want you to go to Walmart or K-Mart and buy a bag of sand, some rolls of colored aluminum foil, and as many silk flowers as you can get. And just don't ask me. Just, just go do it for me, would you please?" So I said, "Sure, no problem." So I went and I loaded up the garage with all the stuff he had asked me get. And then on Memorial Day he said to me, "Would you mind helping me with the graves today?" And I thought, w...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:On Fridays we hear from StoryCorps... Americans across the country tell their stories as part of this project.
They visit a recording booth with a friend or a loved one and interview them.
Today we'll hear a Memorial Day story... from Butte, Montana.
David Shea's (Shay) mother died in the early 1980s, Shea decided to move back home to help out his father, Denny Shea.
And it wasn't long before David learned there were some things he didn't know about his dad.
TAPE "One of the things I noticed early on was...did even know about." 1:59
OUTRO:David Shea at StoryCorps in Butte, Montana.
His father, Denny Shea, died in 1995. David decorates his father's grave each Memorial Day.
All StoryCorps interviews are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
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