Uncle Johnny was an unusual fellow. My mother told me that during the Great Depression, Uncle Johnny was something of a hobo who would ride in boxcars across the United States, worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps out west, worked in a logging camp, had many an adventure and eventually traveled back to the east coast. He married a "much older" women, Margaret, and they farmed in Gansevoort, NY. They had pigs, chickens, roosters and a talking parrot.
After Margaret died he lived in Florida where I first remember meeting him and the talking parrot. He lived in a small trailer in Clearwater area. Eventually he moved back up north to Johnstown where he met Mary Kendall who became his second wife and whom he loved dearly. After Mary died, Uncle Johnny came to live with my mother and father. He brought his dog, "Dimples". Uncle Johnny and Dimples remained with my folks until Johnny died in 1985 in Glens Falls Hospital.. Dimples didn't last much longer, I think she really missed Uncle Johnny.
Overall Uncle Johnny was a loner and somewhat of a quiet person. But when you got him talking, he always had a interesting perspective on politics, the economy, and whatever else was going on. He was a big reader and loved reading about cowboys and Adirondack reclusives......Noah Rondeau, Anne LaBastille. He was a carpenter by trade and was most comfortable with a hammer in his hands and wood materials to build something.
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| This is an old photo of Uncle Johnny and it needs some repair |
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| What is a Wills without a dog? |
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| Dorothy and Johnny Wills in Cohoes |
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| Uncle Johnny with his first wife |
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| Uncle Johnny and Aunt Mary in Johnstown |
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