The Gentle Power of Good Neighbors
Appreciating Kindness Right Next Door
I live across the street from Morrie Dock, a retired pharmacist, married to Barb Bixler. He’s a friendly guy who loves to chat. When new people move into the neighborhood, he brings them challah bread and gefilte fish as a welcoming gift.
At the other end of the block lives Ruth Hayes, the dominant force in the Nora Community Council for years. She was both loved and feared for her fierce determination to keep Nora free of billboards and high-rise buildings. Ruth is now a widow in her late 80s. Sometimes I see her with her walker out for a stroll down Pennsylvania Street.
Weeks ago, as I drove by her house, I saw Ruth struggling to bend over with her walker to pick up her newspaper (yes, some of us are still hanging on to the paper copies of the Star delivered to our houses). Later that day, I mentioned to Morrie that Ruth was having some trouble getting around.
The next day, as I was driving north on Pennsylvania, I saw Morrie walking toward me, so I stopped to chat. Turns out Morrie had decided to walk down to Ruth’s every day and place her paper on her doorstep. (Morrie gets a paper too, so he knows when it’s delivered.)
A week or so went by, and my paper started showing up on my doorstep. I knew immediately that Morrie was delivering to me too. On my morning walks, I’ve also seen him delivering papers on Washington Boulevard.
Morrie is my hero!
Three houses south of my house lives Sam LeStourgeon, a retired salesman, married to Karen. He’s devoted to Scouting and has positively influenced hundreds of young men. He’s a friendly guy too—another one of my chatty neighbors!
One day, as I was driving to church, I thought I saw Sam working in the median east of North Central on 86th Street. I texted him to ask if that was him. Turns out Sam “watches over” all the medians on 86th Street from St. Vincent Hospital to Keystone.
He drives his riding mower north on Pennsylvania and mows the two medians on 86th Street closest to Pennsylvania. The other medians he trims, weeds, sprays, and pesters the city to come mow. Some of the medians are “sponsored,” and he’s working to get sponsors for the rest. He even set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the job. He told me he gave up his gym membership because he gets all the workout he can stand doing the medians.
Sam is my hero!
I’m blessed to know these two wonderful men. If I were ever in trouble, I’m certain I could pick up the phone and they would come running. Our neighborhood is fortunate because Morrie and Sam live among us. They are our neighborhood’s unsung heroes!
