By Liz Ciancone
TERRE HAUTE — It’s too late for Halloween, but the holiday reminded me of our family ghost story.
During the last 10 or 20 years of Dad’s life, he developed a close friendship with Mr. Sibley. They met in an unusual way. Mr. Sibley rarely left the small town of Matthews, Mo., and Dad lived some 25 miles north at Sikeston. But Dad liked Matthews and, especially after Mom died, sought conversation with the “hot stove league” at the Matthews general store.
Mr. Sibley’s son owned the store, but somehow he and Dad were never around that stove at the same time. However, one day as Dad left, Mr. Sibley asked his son, “Who is that man who just left?” And, upon learning Dad’s name, Mr. Sibley announced, “I want to meet him. He and I were brothers in a former life.”
Dad met people easily, but usually only superficially. It was unusual that he and Mr. Sibley became close friends. Dad spent more and more time in Matthews where there was always a place for him at the Sibley table. When Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer, he underwent treatment at a Veterans Hospital in Memphis. We visited him there during the first round of treatments when he was still able to get out of the hospital and around town with us. Our sons were little then and while No. 1 son and my Best Friend were riding some sort of sky lift, No. 2 son was treated to a coupon book to ride on some of the tamer attractions. Dad and I talked.
He was allowed to go home and was able to attend a reunion of his Navy buddies before having to return to the hospital for a second round of treatments. As he headed south, he left his car with Mr. Sibley. He was never able to reclaim it.
At Dad’s funeral, Mr. Sibley approached me and, between tears, he told me that Dad had come to say goodbye to him.
“I was sitting in the living room late one afternoon. I looked up and saw your Dad at the door,” he said. “I turned and shouted to my wife to set another plate because Ed was here for supper, but when I turned back, he was gone. I told my wife, ‘Ed died today.’” And, he had.
There was a closeness to that friendship Dad felt with few others. I believe Mr. Sibley saw Dad.
