David E. Steiner

Retired USAF, Teacher, Dad, Grandfather, Curmudgeon

Like what you see? Then be sure to visit the Allenspark Wind website here, and think about subscribing.

About Me:

Click on the links below to learn more...

You are here:

About Me/

Writing

Read My Latest Column

Barney Graves

 

Barney Graves died June 23rd at the Prospect Park Living Center in Estes Park. He was 80. The Trail Gazette ran his obituary on the front page. They listed his many contributions to Estes Park. They called him a civic leader, and he deserved that; at various times he was president of the Chamber of Commerce, treasurer of the school board, chairman of the Sanitation District, member of the Planning Commission, and member of the Town Board. He was a Shriner, an Elk, and a member of the Lions and Rotary. He was a volunteer fireman for 20 years and was active in the library and museum. The Estes Park schools are, in large part, a result of Barney’s activism.

The obituary tells us what he did, but little about who he was. Barney was my friend and my employer, and when I was young I knew him, not as well as some and better than most.

In my late teens Barney hired me for the summer to help install gas lines and furnaces in our valley. At that time there were two gas companies in Estes Park. One was The Estes Park Gas Company, owned by Barney’s father, and the Graves Gas Company, owned by Barney. I heard a number of stories about why Barney had decided to strike out on his own and compete with his father, but it was all conjecture. Barney never talked about it.

So if you own an older home with a floor furnace, Barney may have installed it; floor furnaces were the heat of choice in the 50s and 60s. He hired me because I was skinny and could get into the crawl spaces under old cabins to hook up furnaces. I also dug ditches to lay gas pipe at Longs Peak Inn. I learned how to thread black iron pipe and flare copper tubing. We used a tool to make a larger opening in the end of the pipe, where it would fit into the appliance. It takes a certain amount of skill to flare copper, and Barney was patient with my first attempts. He took the time to teach me. Barney was an artist with a flaring tool.

Like the rest of us, Barney wasn’t perfect. His work and his civic leader role took a toll in his family life. He saw quite a bit of Leona, his first wife, because she had a home decorating shop in his office building on Moraine Avenue. Leona died in 1975 after a short, painful illness. When Barney retired a few years later he sold the business to Ferrellgas.

His children, including two boys, took no interest in going into the business, and I think it bothered him. When two people work for eight hours a day, eat lunch and sweat together all summer, you learn as much about the person as you do about the work. He had a temper, too, and when he got mad his already florid complexion turned very red. It was always easy to tell when Barney was steamed about something.

The strongest image I have, however, is of him laughing. He loved a good joke, as long as it was clean. I never heard him swear, and he had plenty of cause, including some of my work. He was always stocky, and when he laughed his shoulders shook and then the shaking sort of worked its way down his body. When he was through with a job he always had a smile and wave of his hand for the customer as he turned to his truck.

When I was away for a year, he took a special interest in my family, making sure everything fired by propane was working and that the tank had plenty of gas. He did that with many of his customers who were alone, elderly or infirm. As a result, his customers were fiercely loyal.

Times change. Now we look for the lowest price for propane, and hot water heat has replaced floor furnaces in many new houses. Since Barney retired I haven’t even known the name of the person filling my tank. Barney enjoyed having a few words, maybe a cool drink, and in general getting to know his customers. He and I would reminisce about that long ago summer. In later years he had drivers who filled tanks, but Barney often cruised the territory, asking people about their needs and pressing the flesh to cement relationships. He was a humanitarian, but he was also a good businessman. He knew that his reputation for friendliness, competitive prices and fast service was what made him a respected and well-to-do member of the community.

Barney moved to Estes Park in 1935, so he was here, except for a brief hiatus when he retired, for 60 years. And now he’s gone.

What is the measure of a person’s life? Is it public service? Is it a good family? Is it achievement in work? Perhaps it’s just what they leave behind, in the lives and memories of the people they knew.

I have two floor furnaces, installed by Barney, and I haven’t thought much about them as they’ve cycled on and off over the years. Now, when they fire up on a chilly morning, I think of Barney, and miss him, and probably always will.

 

Columns

© 1985 – 2003, David E. Steiner

Allenspark Wind Columns:

Introduction

Why Allenspark?

Going Riding [August, 1985]

Electricity

Used Cars

Peace and Quiet [1986]

Liberals & Conservatives

Going to the Movies

The Screened Porch

The Beginning of The Season

The Weather

The Hilltop Guild Bazaar

The End of The Season

The Gift of Time

The Beavers

Addresses [1987]

Hiking

Watching the Trees Grow

Postal Rates

Changes in Estes Park

Square Dancing at the Pow Wow

Back to the Hilltop Guild Bazaar

The Solstices

Bird Feeders

Elevators

The Estes Park Hardware Store [1988]

Visitors

Limousine Service

A Memorial Service

A Hummingbird

Garbage

A Hiking Trip

The Estes Park Public Library

Wild Life

Riparian Rights [1989]

Weather

Fences

Commuting

Mountain Friendliness

A Motorcycle Trip

Satellite Television

“Weaving Mountain Memories”

Hotel Rates in the Old Days

The Price of Propane [1990]

The Front Range Almanac

June

Modes of Transportation

Miller Moths

My 50th Column

Modern Conveniences

Rock Climbing

On the Death of Otto Walter, Postmaster

Otto’s Memorial Service

A Big Owl Pot-Luck Dinner

A Whine About Telephone Service [1991]

After the Persian Gulf War

Some Changes in the WIND

The Trip to the Mountains

The Mountains in the Summer

Visitors

Of Dogs, Music, and Children

Muhlenburg County

To My Grandson

The Sale of Longs Peak Inn

World War II  [1992]

Murphy’s Law and the Computer

The South St. Vrain Canyon

“Whiteout”

The Hazards of Volunteering

Crime in Our Valley

Infestations

On the Death of Charles Eagle Plume

Can We All Get Along?

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Lost Horizon [1993]

Walking

Rumors About a Visit by the Pope

Progress?

More About Fences

Woodpeckers

The Visit of Pope John Paul II

Forest Fires

The New Sewage System

The Snow Pool

The Good Old Days [1994]

The WIND’s 20th Anniversary

The Bunce School

The Shooting Gallery

The Estes Park Museum

Our Government

U.S. West Takes a Hit

The Year of the Hummingbirds

A New “Yield” Sign

Growth in Allenspark

Private Telephones?

The Salvation Army

Creation Science [1995]

Devolutionizing Big Government

Risks

Airports

Fort D.A. Russell

Domestic Terrorism

Old and New

Barney Graves

Life in the Wilderness

What’s In a Name?

Arthur C. Clarke

 

The Estes Park Trail-Gazette Columns:

July 1983

Carpentry

Estes Cone

Johnny Grant

Observations in Estes Park

The Bath House

Waving

The Sutherland’s Ice House

How Old is Charles Eagle Plume?

Dogs

Christmas Trees

Tree Murder

Mountain Driving

Garbage

Mail Boxes

More About Mail Boxes

“Are you related to ....?”

Spring

An Accident

The Wild Cat

A July Reunion

A Visit to Baldpate Inn

Opening Cabins

Summer

The Times, They Have Changed

Death and Transfiguration

The Population Explosion

The March of Time

Faith-Based Social Services

Looking for Pitch

Recent Writings I

Recent Writings II

Recent Writings III

Recent Writings IV

Recent Writings V

Recent Writings VI

 

 

 

Jump to these pages

Contact me

 

Did you find a factual error or a typo or want to voice an opinion? Drop me a note here

 

Copyright © AngryRobot Enterprises. All rights reserved.

Home

About Me

Contact