OT:The loss of a friend. Here is my story
Tedw9
Posts: 1,424 ✭✭
I'm not sure where to begin with this post, all I can tell you is I have a huge weight on my chest and tears in my eyes as I write this, but I don't know who else to share this with.
I just got the word that my long time and and very dear friend, Carl Willey, passed away last night. I knew this was coming, but that still does not make it any easier for me or my wife. We were at the hospital a couple of weeks ago
to visit him. You could tell he was not doing well as he didn't have that spark in his eyes like he always did. But he still had that sense of humor and the smile that could light up a room. I didn't want to see him like that, I wanted to remember him healthy and vibrant. But talking with a friend of mine who is a minister, he offered the advice that they dying need their friends more than ever at that time. So as much as it hurt, I had to go see him. I must admit
as much as it hurt, I think I needed to see him so I could say good bye and tell him I loved him one last time.
I so want to tell our story, share with you all how we met and how much he meant to me. How much I loved his stories about playing with Aaron, Spahn, Mathews and such. How much every moment, every story and every smile or tear meant to me. There were so many stories, so many smiles and laughs, so much between us. And he was such a wonderful, genuine, sweet and caring gentleman. He was someone I am proud to call my friend, someone who I loved as family, and I like to think he loved me the same way.
Sure, he only played for 8 years in the big leagues, but that is 8 years longer than I have ever played. To me, what he accomplished was incredible, something to be proud of. He did things I only dreamed of, went places I will never see
and lived the life all little boys want to live.
I have so much I want to say, so much I want to share, but I am a bit of a mess right now. I just needed to get this out, to vent my sadness, to clear my head and to just let the world know that we just lost a great man.
I will come back in here and post my story sometime soon. And if you want to come back and read it, that's great. But my posting will be for both anyone who wants or cares to read it, and for myself, so I can relive the memories again.
Carlton my dear friend, no matter where you are, know I'm thinking of you and I love you. Thank you for sharing your life with me.
I just got the word that my long time and and very dear friend, Carl Willey, passed away last night. I knew this was coming, but that still does not make it any easier for me or my wife. We were at the hospital a couple of weeks ago
to visit him. You could tell he was not doing well as he didn't have that spark in his eyes like he always did. But he still had that sense of humor and the smile that could light up a room. I didn't want to see him like that, I wanted to remember him healthy and vibrant. But talking with a friend of mine who is a minister, he offered the advice that they dying need their friends more than ever at that time. So as much as it hurt, I had to go see him. I must admit
as much as it hurt, I think I needed to see him so I could say good bye and tell him I loved him one last time.
I so want to tell our story, share with you all how we met and how much he meant to me. How much I loved his stories about playing with Aaron, Spahn, Mathews and such. How much every moment, every story and every smile or tear meant to me. There were so many stories, so many smiles and laughs, so much between us. And he was such a wonderful, genuine, sweet and caring gentleman. He was someone I am proud to call my friend, someone who I loved as family, and I like to think he loved me the same way.
Sure, he only played for 8 years in the big leagues, but that is 8 years longer than I have ever played. To me, what he accomplished was incredible, something to be proud of. He did things I only dreamed of, went places I will never see
and lived the life all little boys want to live.
I have so much I want to say, so much I want to share, but I am a bit of a mess right now. I just needed to get this out, to vent my sadness, to clear my head and to just let the world know that we just lost a great man.
I will come back in here and post my story sometime soon. And if you want to come back and read it, that's great. But my posting will be for both anyone who wants or cares to read it, and for myself, so I can relive the memories again.
Carlton my dear friend, no matter where you are, know I'm thinking of you and I love you. Thank you for sharing your life with me.
Looking for Carl Willey items.
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1994 Pro Line Live
TheDallasCowboyBackfieldProject
Buying Vintage, all sports.
Buying Woody Hayes, Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, and Jesse Owens autographed items
BB Reference
Share your stories with us whenever you feel up to it. I'm sure we will all be looking forward to it
Thanks for taking the time to post this and I look forward to hearing more in the future. He sounded like a great person and friend.
Donato
Edited for spelling...
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)
<< <i>BB Reference
I am sorry for your loss; Would be neat if you could sponsor his page in his memory on BB Reference
Please accept my heartfelt sympathy for your loss of such a great friend.
I have a baseball that Carl signed in 1964, that you can have, if you'd like.
Just PM your address to me and I'll send it to you.
I would be honored and am looking forward to read about your past with Carl.
God bless you and may Carl rest in peace.
PoppaJ
My sincere condolences.
It states here that Mr. Willey struck out Bill Skowron and Gil McDouglad in Game 5 of the 1958 World Series. Awesome! The Braves were up 3-1 in the Series, but lost to the Yankees in seven (7) games. Bummer.
<< <i>Sure, he only played for 8 years in the big leagues, but that is 8 years longer than I have ever played. >>
Eight (8) years longer than me as well. And a lot of other people.
/s/ JackWESQ
I'm also very sorry to hear about your loss. I can tell from your post that he meant a great deal to you. It's nice to see a man admit that his friendships really matter to him. I can't wait to hear more about this particular friendship so that we can all celebrate his life and reflect on his passing.
Peace be with you!
-Chad
I'm sorry for your loss. Looking forward to reading the stories you have. RIP Carl.
My prayers are for you and Carl's family.
mike
Lou
Steve, so sorry for your loss. Looking forward to reading what you eventually share with us about your relationship with Carl.
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
I'm sorry for the loss of your friend.--- Sonny
Jim
Ripken, Brooks & Frank Robinson, Old Orioles, Sweet Spot Autos, older Redskins - Riggins, Sonny, Baugh etc and anything that catches my eye.
My ghetto sportscard webpage...All Scans - No Lists!!! Stinky Linky
Mike
So sorry for your loss Steve. I'd love to read the storys.
RIP Mr. Willey
RIP Mr Willey
Instead, lookup and talk, he will hear you. Look in your heart as he is there as well, He will always be there, I promise.
My condolences to his family, to you and your family,
Please let me know via pm where to send flowers.
Felicia
Link To Scanned 1952 Topps Cards Set is now 90% Complete Plus Slideshows of the 52 Set
Stay well guy.
Nick
Rest in peace Carl
I took the advice of Ironmanfan and have sponsored the BB Reference page for the next year. I will continue to sponsor it from now on, in his memory. When I got home from work yesterday, I found that my wife had sponsored his online obituary guest book permanently. Whomever set it up only set it up for one month, now it will be online for all to read or add to forever.
As I said, I wanted to come back and tell our story, which is what I am here to do. It will probably turn out to be a long post, but I have some stories to share, and it will help me relive the memories and grieve for my friend.
My first time meeting Carlton was back in the late 80's, early 90's at a local card show. I had no idea who he was until that day, or that I had grown up and played ball in his hometown while growing up. I know he liked to watch us kids play, so there is a good chance he saw me play a few times. When I first went up to him, I was nervous as all get out. I had never met a major league player before, only seen them on tv. But he was so kind and so polite, signing anything I wanted, all with a smile. I still have the photo he signed for me that day and the picture of him and I together at the show.
Fast forward a few years and I am driving home from work. My drive was 1.5 hours each way, about 55 miles. I used to take a hilly backwoods road home to save a few miles and a few minutes. Well, as I start on that road one summer day, who do I see beside the road with a flat tire but Carlton Willey. He was standing there with a look of dismay on his face, not sure what to do. I stopped and asked if I could help. He told me he wasn't even sure where to begin to find the jack and spare tire on his Jeep. I had worked previously with my Dad at a tire shop, so changing tires was second nature to me. I was able to get the blown one off and had him back on the road in 10-15 minutes. When I was done he shook my hand and introduced himself (I already knew who he was) and he offered to pay me, but I wouldn't have any of that. He noticed I was wearing a Red Sox hat and asked if I was a baseball fan. When I told him I was, he asked if I would like to come to his house some weekend to visit and talk baseball. Before he could finish the sentence I told him I would love to! After the first time I met him, knowing there was a local who played pro ball, I did a ton of research on him. I knew he had played with Aaron, Spahn, Mathews, Berra and all those guys. And being a huge baseball history buff, the chance to talk baseball with someone who played with those guys and pitched in a World Series was a dream come true for me. So I jumped at the chance and thanked him for the offer and told him I would be in touch.
A couple of weekends later I called him to see if I could come visit. "Of course dear, I would love to have you!" he said when I called. (He used to call my wife and I "dear" which I found very sweet.) Well, off I went to visit his little house in Cherryfield. Little did I know he lived there, I had been by that house hundreds of times, never once given it any thought. I can't tell you what we talked about that first time, but I can tell you I was nervous and thrilled all at the same time. Here I was sitting in Carltons house, have coffee with him and talking about old time baseball. I don't think it could have gotten any better! I was in my glory, just asking questions and listening to the stories he had to tell. And let me tell you, did he have some incredible stories.
On my way out that day I asked if it would be ok if I came to visit again. "You come back and visit me anytime you want dear, I would love to have you over." Wow, I can come back and do this again? WOOOOHOOOO! When I left I had a million questions running through my head I wanted to ask him. Questions about former teammates, players he faced (he had good luck with Mays, McCovey had his number), places he had been. There was an endless list of things to ask and boy was this gonna be fun!
I ended up going back, again, again and again. Almost every Sunday afternoon you could find me there, just basking in the stories. I would throw a name out and he would give me story after story about that person. Or about the time he pitched in the World Series, how nervous he was just getting to the mound, not even remembering walking there. He told me about how the first game he started Eddie Mathews walked up to him and said, "If you need to pitch inside and hit someone, you do it. Because before they get to you, there going to have to go through me." One time I asked him about Bob Uecker and he started laughing and telling stories. By the time he was done, we were both in tears laughing because Ueck is THAT funny in real life. He said that Ueck always kept him in stitches. I asked about Stan Musial and he told me about the first time he faced Stan, he threw a change up. Well, when he threw it his foot slipped off the pitching rubber and as he put it, "I threw the best change up I had ever thrown" and Musial swung and missed it by a mile. Well, being a rookie he thought to himself that this Musial guy wasn't such a tough hitter to figure out after all. So he decided to throw another change up and as he said, "He hit it so hard I think it is still going today!"
One story that will always stand out is the one about being the first Mets pitcher to hit a grand slam in Mets history. What made the day even more special was that his Dad was in the stands that day to see him play. After he hit the home run, the kid who caught it found out/was told that Carltons Dad was there that day. So the boy took the ball to Carltons Dad and gave it to him. Carlton later gave the boy a signed ball in return. What stood out about this story was how emotional he got talking about his Dad and how proud his Dad was of him. It was obvious, even after all those years, he still loved and missed his Dad a lot. The only other times I ever saw him that emotional was after Spahn and Burdette had passed. He loved those guys and it was obvious.
Once I became a frequent visitor to Carltons house, I started bringing things for him to sign for me. He was always happy to sign whatever I brought, no questions asked. I always told him I appreciated him signing so much for me and he would say it was fine, he enjoyed signing for me. Over the years I had him sign all of his cards, a baseball, bat, hat, jersey, books, magazines and many photos. He was even kind enough to sign stuff for friends and family for me, which I gave away. I never sold his autograph, all of them were either for me or for friends. And to this day, I still have all of the items he signed for me, some of which are displayed in my spare room. I purchased many different wire photos of him over the years and I would make a couple of copies to bring with me. One I would have him sign for me, and one I would bring for his collection. It was always fun to see the look on his face when I would bring something he had never seen before and he would almost always have a story to go with it. I was able to share quite a few photos with him over the years, but none as special as his World Series photo.
Carlton faced the Yankees in game 5 of the 1958 World Series. He only pitched one inning, why so little I don't know. But in that short span, someone behind home plate had taken a picture. Not the best picture, but still a pretty cool photo. Well, the negative came up for sale on Ebay a couple of years ago and I was going to have it no matter what. I ened up paying a pretty penny for it, but to me it was worth 10 times what I paid. It is the old fashioned type of negative, black and white, really wide and tall. I had to take it to a photo shop because a place like Wal Mart wasn't able to do anything with it. I had one 16x20 made and a bunch of 8x10's made. When I got the photo back, I was thrilled beyond belief. This photo was a white whale of mine, something I didn't think existed. And if it did, what are the chances of me actually finding it? So I brought down the photos to show Carlton and the look on his face was pure disbelief. He was so happy to have that photo, like me, he didn't think one existed. I had him sign and inscribe the 16x20 for me and sign a few of the 8x10s. The 16x20 is the only one that exist and I had 10 or so 8x10s signed. I wanted to keep the signed ones rare, to make them special to those who had one. A month or so ago, I stumbled across the radio call of game 5 which Carlton pitched in. I knew Carlton wasn't well enough for him to come over to listen to it so I made him a copy of the cd's and got them to him. I guess the week before he passed he listed to them and was tickled to hear the game because he had never heard it before. He wanted to come over and see my collection of his items, but sadly he was never well enough to make it. That would have been pretty special to me, I wish we would have tried that sooner.
On one of my visits we were talking about autographs and how today's players treat autograph seekers. He said he never turned down an autograph request, he said he was flattered that anyone would want his autograph. I was telling him how I collected autographs by mail and asked if I could mention to his former teammates that I knew him. He said he was fine with that and that maybe it would help me get more autographs. Well, not only did I get more responses, but I would often get back notes and phone numbers from his friends for Carlton. Often the guys who wrote back to me would say what a wonderful teammate he was and how polite he was. (He was really polite, never swore and treated my wife with the utmost respect, a real throwback to the old days.) I would bring the letters and notes down to him to read, which he just loved. Because of this, I was able to put him back in touch with a few of his old teammates which was an added bonus for me. The one time that stands out to me is the time I wrote to Lou Burdette. I sent Lou a card and he sent back two along with a note for Carlton. The added card he sent me was a 1959 Topps where he messed with the photographer and put the glove on the wrong hand. He signed it "Lefty" Lou Burdette which I thought was awesome! But the note was super special and I brought it to Carlton. When I passed it to him, he read it and go misty eyed. It was simple note but spoke volumes about how those guys felt about each other. All it says was "Tell Carlton that by Jesus I still love him." And when Carlton read that note he got misty eyed and said, "By Jesus I still love you too Lou." Hell, I'm getting misty eyed just remembering it and writing it, it was a very touching moment we shared. It was nice to know he loved and trusted me enough to share his emotions like that with me. Please don't think I am sharing too personal of information about Carlton, I know this is one story he wouldn't mind me sharing with others. There were a lot of other stories he told me that I will never tell anyone else, some real touching and deeply personal stories, stories I will always cherish. And yes, I still have all of those notes in my collection.
Carlton was well known in the town he lived in. He was born, raised and lived in the same house his whole life. Everyone in the small town knew him because he grew up there and came back there after baseball. All of his friends would come to his house for coffee and conversation everyday. It was an open door policy, no knocking, just walk in and have a seat. It was a pretty special day for me when he said to me, "You don't need to knock, just come in. Your always welcome at my house." So if it was just Carlton and I, we would sit and talk baseball (He thought Curt Schilling should stop talking and just pitch and that Hank Aaron is still the true home run king) or if others were there it would be talk about the blueberries, weather or whatever was happening in town at that moment. Because it seemed that EVERY older guy in town would stop into Carltons house, one of his friends hung up a sign outside that said, "Ridge Road Old Mens Club". Carlton loved the sign and never took it down, because it was SO true! All the old men would gather at his house for good conversation and instant coffe from the microwave. Some days I would just sit a listen, some days I would join in and talk about whatever was the topic of the moment. I was just happy to be there and be a part of it. One Sunday afternoon we were all sitting around and talking and one of the guys mentioned the old mens club sign out front. Carlton smiled, looked at me and said, "Steve, you must be the youngest member of the Old Mens Club!" Well, that was one moment that meant so much to me, a badge I proudly wear. Even in his obituary it says how he will be missed by his friends of the Ridge Road Old Mens Club.
I could go on and on with even more stories about my times with Carlton. I said to my wife that I wish I had recorded those conversations because I could write a book. There are so many more to tell and maybe over time I will remember them all and put them down to share with everyone. A few years ago my wife bought me the domain www.carltonwilley.com which I had planned on sharing my collection and whatever else on there. But like a lot of other things, I put it on the back burner, only to forget about it. As she said to me this week, it is time to get off my butt and get my site up and running. I don't know the first thing about building a site, but I am going to try. And once I do, I will post more of my stories there along with pics of all my Carlton related items.
I would like to finish this long post by saying one last thing about Carlton. Carlton and I were close friends, we shared a bond and a friendship that only comes along once in a lifetime. His love and my love of baseball brought us together and our mutual respect and eventually love for each other kept the friendship strong. The biggest thing I will always respect and admire about Carlton was who he was and how he was. You often hear people say how someone is kind or polite, but Carlton was probably the most genuine, kind, respectful and polite person you could ever want or hope to meet. My wife who is cynical of people fell for him the first time she met him. He had such a charm and easy way about him, he just put you at ease within a few seconds. And that twinkle in his eye would make you smile every time. But despite the fact that everyone who knew him, loved him, he still had his flaws. Even though he lived in Red Sox Nation, he was a Yankees fan.
Below are a few pictures I thought I would share. One is the World Series photo I mentioned, one is the sign outside Carltons door, a picture I took the other day when I went to say goodbye to him and finally is a picture of him and I at his house about 5 years ago. It was the first time my wife had met him and wanted a picture of the two of us together. I have others of him and I together, but I just really like this one so that is why I am sharing it.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading and I hope you have enjoyed what I have wrote. There will be a lot more where those came from once I get my site up and running and I hope once I do, you will stop by to enjoy Carlton, just like I did.
ballplayer or not
consider yourself lucky everyday
just curious was there a misses Willey? or children?
bless you both, and thanks so much for sharing.
Oaksey, there is family involved. He has 2 kids, a boy and a girl as well as grandkids.
Carl Willey was the number one pitcher for the 1963 Mets.
Winning 9 games with a 3.10 ERA including 4 shutouts.
Al Jackson and Roger Craig may have been ahead of him on the depth chart but Carl was the number 1 that year.
Steve
Thanks for writing this. I feel now I know a tiny bit about Carlton. As I write this I am in Sandusky Ohio and getting stoked about the National. Now I have something to look for. I plan on adding something of his to my collection.
Bob...
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
He must have been a true gem!
RIP Carlton
Dan
Rip Carl
I remembered this post now years gone by…. And I wondered if the website he was planning ever got made?
I was thinking there was a 60s ball player named Carlton Willey, but he died a while back. Then I saw the date of the post. I had a 61T Willey as a kid (it was a rare older card, as this was late 70s and I didn't have access to older cards quite yet). Not sure where I got it and he was not exactly an all time great, but it was a favorite at the time.
Hiya Ryan - good to see you buddy!!!