Who’s your favorite veteran? Mine is my late grandfather, whom we affectionately called Daddy Will.
Daddy Will carrying me down the aisle when I served as a flower girl in Aunt Marty and Uncle Tom’s wedding.
As a young man, he served in Army intelligence during the Korean War. On one dangerous mission, he lost most of his men. Many had wives. Some had children. He had neither. Riddled with guilt, he wondered why he survived while the men with families died.
I’m one of the reasons. My mom, aunts, brothers, and cousins make many more. After the war, Daddy Will married my indomitable grandmother, Betty Jean. Together they built one of the biggest, closest, and strongest families I know. Though Mom-Mom and Daddy Will both passed away years ago, their legacy outlives them.
Want to know more about this amazing man? Read his story below.
Daddy Will and His Million-Dollar Donkey
Are you familiar with Mr. Ed, the talking horse? How about Willie, the million-dollar donkey? You may have spotted his T-shirt on FBI agents, or in such faraway places as the People’s Republic of China.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, I need to introduce my grandfather. One of the most hardworking men I’ve met, he was incredible with a hammer. Being patriotic, red, white, and blue were his favorite colors. And, though generally quiet, he loved to joke and tell tall tales.
Who Was Will Reincke?
Most people called him Will Reincke. They knew him as a construction manager who supervised prominent building projects like Memorial Stadium, Laurel Park racetrack, and Harrison’s Pier 5 in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
My grandmother called him Will or, sometimes, William. She knew him as the handsome husband she eloped with who provided well for their family. Though Mom-Mom shook her head at his cock and bull stories, she loved him loyally until death did them part.
My mom, Denise, and my aunts, Darlene and Debby, called him Dad. They knew him as the father who adored them and called them his “Darling D’s.”
The ten of us grandkids called him Daddy Will. As the oldest, I had the honor of bestowing that nickname. We knew him as the grandfather who loved us, believed in us, and would do anything for us.
1988: Mom-Mom and Daddy Will’s family at Christmastime
In fact, Daddy Will relished spending holidays and vacations with us. Every summer, we spent a boisterous week together in Ocean City. Every winter, we enjoyed quieter weekends—if you exclude the rumble of snowmobiles—at Deep Creek Lake.
To keep reading Daddy Will’s story, buy or borrow When Losses Become Legacies here.