The Reader’s Digest publishes a story each month titled “The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met.”  

In my lifetime, I’ve met a few unforgettable characters – some funny, some not so funny, and many

 I wish I could have forgotten.

However, one of the most unforgettable characters I ever met was

Mr. Henry Stein Sr. He was a real man, and I’m sorry to say they

don’t have many like him anymore. Mr. Stein died a few years ago at age 94.  

A couple of years before his death, I approached him as he was sitting in a chair at the funeral home. After a casual greeting, I asked him, “What’s the secret to living a long life?” As only he could reply, he shot back, “Just don’t die!” We both laughed.

What made Mr. Stein so special? After his retirement from Godchaux Sugar Refinery in Reserve, he continued to live life

with a quiet enthusiasm that was

contagious to anyone who knew

him.  

He and his wife, Eva Michel, were married for

more than 67 years and had five children, three boys and two girls. Marsha, the wife of his youngest son, Henry Jr., told me he was the kindest man and one of the most giving men she ever knew. She said he lived for his family. (Speaking of Henry Jr. and Marsha, that’s another unforgettable story for another time.)

After his retirement, Mr. Stein didn’t sit around in a rocking chair watching the sunset; he lived life to the fullest. I’ve been told he would wake up at 4:30, sit on his swing and pray. He was a man that lived each day and handled whatever God sent him.  

His wife died before he did and was very sick for more than 15 years. She was bedridden for the last six years of her life. Mr. Stein, as only a real man could, was her nurse, reacting to her every need without complaining.  

Mr. Stein lived through the Great Depression, all the major wars and who knows how many personal hardships.

I understand he never traveled further than New Orleans or Baton Rouge and not that often.

His secret to a long, productive life was not only not dying but hard work and integrity. (I’m sure a word he never used, but lived.)

The other morning at a Bible sharing meeting, Wayne Stein Sr., one of his grandsons, told me, “My grandpa was very kind and caring. I never heard him raise his voice or get angry.”

Mr. Stein left the greatest legacy – one of integrity!

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 985-652-8477, or email hkellercomcast.net.