* The long-haired guy on the right with the purple shirt and the silly grin was Grant Ward, one of the best friends I ever had…

Grant ran off to join the circus when he was a young man. He followed the Grateful Dead’s “circus” for a while as well. I wrote about him years ago when the Springfield factory where he worked moved operations to Mexico.

He wasn’t famous, he wasn’t “accomplished” in the socially accepted way, but he was a truly kind-hearted soul who would always do anything for anyone. He didn’t make enemies. He made friends, and he kept those friends his whole life. Those friends will never forget him.

Grant loved to fish. We spent long hours on my pontoon boat trolling around the lake late at night, drinking beers and talking about music and politics and women and whatever else came to mind. He almost never caught a fish on those outings of ours, but neither of us much cared.

A couple of summers back, we took my camper to that flying carp festival on the Illinois River. We had a flat tire on the way there, blew out my electrical system at the makeshift campground, got thrown out of a bar and scolded by some off-duty cops, but, man, did we ever have a great time. He was just about the easiest person in the world to hang with.

He was also a dog lover and one of those people whom dogs loved as well. Oscar couldn’t get enough of the man.

Years ago, Grant and his brother Tedd shared a house in Springfield. I moved into the coal bin in the basement. I was somehow surviving on $50 a week writing for the Illinois Times in an attempt to break into the business. Living in Grant and Tedd’s basement helped me find a way to change my whole life around. Without them, I’m not sure I could’ve done it. I’ve loved them both like brothers for 25 years.

Grant died in an auto accident yesterday. My heart feels like it’s broken. This one’s for him…

Mama, Mama, many worlds I’ve come since I first left home