Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Sadly, I'm just learning about Bobby's passing through a text I received this morning from the funeral home!
I've known Bobby since I was four or five years old through my parents' Carl and Jean Matson of C.A. Matson Glass.
Carl and Bobby were very close friends. He spent so much time over at our house I started to think he was an uncle, lol!
One night while he and Carl were sitting around the kitchen table discussing work or the lack thereof in relation to our glass company Bobby offered to take one of our employees so Carl wouldn't have to lay them off because he had so much work in his plumbing business. Carl asked him, who do you want? His response was, I'll take Jimmy (that's me). I was around 23 at the time and knew very little about plumbing but he didn't care. Ultimately, I wound up working for him for nearly 3 years and through that time we became good friends.
That man was the hardest working individual I have ever met, he would pick me up at 5:00 a.m. every morning and sometimes we wouldn't get back until after dark but he always bought me breakfast and made lunches for the two of us. He taught me more in those years than most plumbers would learn in 10. Back then, he was a very hot headed guy but he was also very patient and empathetic when I did something stupid, lol.
I loved and respected him more than whoever reads this could ever know. He was a good man and I will miss him!!!!
Jim Slade
