Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Albert Osanna Gone
I learned this morning of the passing of a good friend of mine, Albert Osanna. Originally from St. Louis, in his day Albert had been quite a bowler as well as a pool player. In recent years, physical problems had made playing pool for an extended period of time impossible. Still, there was nothing he liked more than watching good players play and sitting around with his friends and talking pool. Having known Albert for the last several years, the thing that struck me most about him was his persistent good humor and his ability to see good in just about everybody. Many the time I'd rag on somebody only to have Albert interject that the guy was a pretty good Joe, anyway. Even in the midst of his last illness, he remained in amazingly good spirits and was always happy to have friends call on the phone or drop in. I never talked to Albert about religion, but from the emails he forwarded to me over the years I got the idea he was a believer. Ever the pessimist, I'd like an explanation for why nice people like Albert are taken away, while miserable old goats like me are allowed to carry on. Next time me and the guys get together, you can bet we'll be hoisting one to salute our good buddy Al.
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7 comments:
Sorry to hear about your friend. Thanks Pana for checking out my site and adding me to yours! Check out my new post, it’s about you!
My condolences to Albert's family and friends, brother.
Hello--I came upon your blog by accident, and saw my brother's name. Albert was my older brother. Seeing your kind words about him was really nice. He was a truly special person, and I don't say that just because I'm his sister. At his funeral, men he hadn't seen since high school showed up, and across the board, everybody liked and respected him. He was humble, too, so I'm gonna brag a little bit about him here: when he entered high school, he had the second-highest math aptitude of the entire freshman class, statewide, in Missouri. As a pitcher for the Khoury League in St. Louis, he dominated two winning seasons, making the All Star team and playing at Busch Stadium both years; Kenny Holtzman, the famous Chicago Cubs pitcher, was Albert’s relief pitcher those two seasons. At fifteen, he learned to play chess at the local Bowl-A-Rama and within months he was winning against men who had played the game most of their lives. By sixteen, he was bowling better than most of the professionals who frequented the place. For many years, he was an accomplished pool player, winning in tournaments all over the country. With his mathematical talent and strategic instincts, I am certain that if he had made different life choices, he could have been Bill Gates.
We talked several times a week up until he passed away. I relied on his wisdom and good humor to get me thru my work days--he was the voice of sanity in an insane world.
Anyway, thanks for being his friend. My mom, my sisters and I all miss him so much...
Best,
Diana Ossana
Thanks, Diana, my vocabulary is not rich enough to describe how proud Albert was of you.
I would like to say that Al was a good friend of mine for about 7 years we attended many pool tournaments together and tossed back a few budweisers.I could listen to his old west {pool}stories for hours.Al lived his live the way he wanted and always put his family and friends at the top of the list of things to care about.If there is a pool hall in heaven you can bet Al's there trying to match up with with someone.I will miss him
It's been more than a year, but I still think of Albert all the time, especially when I'm tempted to use an open bridge, and I miss him more than ever. "Don't ever use an open bridge," Albert used to tell me. And, "Don't ever leave yourself on the rail." I have a lot of trouble complying with that one.
Albert and others will be honored at The 1st Annual DJ's Memorial 9-Ball Tournament to be held 8/12/2010.
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