Walter Greb Obituary

Yeah, it's me again ... Just stoppin by to say hey!! I missed writing you a little somethin on your 6 month anniversary, but to no surprise I was at my dad's house..... Big card game!!! I suppose in your honor!! Thanks for looking down on Jav..... I know you're the one who helped him win!!! We'll be bringing the kids to the cemetery this week ...... They're missing you sooo much! Keep watching over us..... And if that's you trying to tell me something...... I hear ya!

Yeah, it's me again ... Just stoppin by to say hey!! I missed writing you a little somethin on your 6 month anniversary, but to no surprise I was at my dad's house..... Big card game!!! I suppose in your honor!! Thanks for looking down on Jav..... I know you're the one who helped him win!!! We'll be bringing the kids to the cemetery this week ...... They're missing you sooo much! Keep watching over us..... And if that's you trying to tell me something...... I hear ya!

Well, Nick, its been almost 6 months since you were taken away from us. I still feel like this is all not real, and that I will wake up and you will be with us again. I always think of you whenever me and DayV go to the boat. The day of your funeral, me and DayV went to Ameristar and played the game you said that you loved. We ended up winning big on it and DayV said, "We got them!" I told him that it was because you were watching down on us and that you were my lucky charm. Whenever we go to Ameristar, I get a little upset. We decided to stay there one day, and when I checked in, DayV made sure that they didn't give us the room that you were in that terrible day. The workers there remembered that day, and told me how sorry they were. People do remember you and care. Whenever we play the slots (we always have to play your favorite machines!) and if we lose, DayV always tries to make me laugh by saying "They got me!" just like you used to say. I'm sorry that you didn't get to know him more, but I always talked about you to him all the time. I told him that I thought it was so cool that you were a sniper back in the day. Whenever I stop over at my parent's house, and I pull up to their house and see the white car, for a split second in my head, I think "Nicky's over!", then reality kicks in, and I realize that you're not there, and never will be physically again. You will always be there in our hearts. Even when I go in the front bedroom, I always think of you when you stayed for the weekend. It's so hard going through each day, knowing I can never see you again. I haven't been to the cemetery since the day we buried you. It would still be too hard for me to go there, but when I think I can, I will go and spend some time there. Syd will be making her Communion soon, and Alana will be graduating Kindergarten. You would be so proud of how smart they are. As they grow older, I will tell them all the stories about you, and make sure they never forget what a nice and caring person you were. I wish you could be here, but I know you are watching down on us all the time.

Hey,
Well, I was just thiking about you today. I've been visiting at the cemetery, and it still just as hard to go there as it was the day of your funeral. I try to leave a little decoration for each holiday for you. I know how you always told me about how nice I always decorated the house, so I figured I might as well bring some of that to you. It was hard over the holidays without you there. I almost bought you a gift for Christmas!!! Jav and the kids really miss you a lot. I know it's been extra hard on my dad....we bought him a popcorn machine for Christmas, and every one of the kids all thought of you. I guess that was good for my dad...in a bittersweet way. Well, St. Patrick's Day is coming and we'll sure miss you there for corned beef and cabbage.....the kids already got something to put on the grave, so, as always , I'll be stopping by soon. Well, just wanted to jot down some thoughts.....you'll forever be missed!!!
.......Brandi

I thought that I'd copy the eulogy I gave at Uncle Nicky's funeral mass.I love you and will greatly miss you.
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to today's event.It is a beautiful summer day here on June 18, 1939. The sky is a gorgeous shade of blue and there's not a cloud in sight. Our first race of the day will be starting soon. In gate #4 we have Walter "Nicky" Greb making his first racing debut. Nicky is the son of Carl and Mary Greb. He is also the brother of Carl, Judy and Ed. He's looking good and strong and ready to race. People were saying he was the favorite to win today's race. Let's get ready to start.......
And there off.......Nicky looks good coming out of the gate, nice and steady. Oh, wait, looks like he's slowing down some, he's stopped along the way to take care of his beloved animals. I see Blackie, his cat; Butterball, the dog; another Blackie, this one is a dog; and let's not forget about Gruffy!Nicky would never pass up an animal that needed his help. Seeing how there were 39 cats, this maty take a awhile.
Okay--looks like he's made it back in his lane and is moving forward. Oh no, it seems like he's falling back again. Now it appears that he has joined the Army and is serving in the Korean War.This is where he was awarded a medal for being an outstanding sniper/sharpshooter. Yet again, Nicky is proving to be selfless and courageous. He's served his time and is glad to be back home with his family. Looks like he stopped momentarily to become Tiffany's godfather. He looks very proud! Family was a major priority in his life. He always took care of grandma and grandpa, drove Bonnie to the doctor, worked on "side jobs" with Uncle Kuba and the 'little guy.' He drove Aunty Judy and David to the store, and took Charles to Gilmart.
Mary always waited for the phone call asking "can we use the garage today?" Then he would be ther e working on someone's car with my dad. Danny soon learned the 'tradition' of spending the entire Discount Day at the junkyard! All of the boys in the family went through this "rite of passage" with him. And as they all could tell you--he would say after going to 2 different junkyards --and still not being able to find the part that they needed--"Don't worry, we still got 2 more places to hit!" It's a good thing that he found many parts there....but then again, sometimes when he was done working on a car, there would be an 'extra' part left over and he'd say "Awwww, don't worry about it--you really don't need it anyway!" You knew if you wre related, he was gonna help you out the best that he could. Looks like everyone has been taken care back home, so once again, we return to the race.......
Nicky seeems to be rounding the first bend in the race and has made up a lot of distance. The strength and determination he is showing is commendable! He's pullind ahead and is keeping a steady trot. Looks like he must really want to win this one. For some reason, no matter how close the race is, he seems to keep slowing down along the way.
Let's take a look and see what's holding him up now....Oh, well that explains it....it is a poker game at my dad's house! Boy, I sure hope he didn't forget his black sock full of money! All of the "regulars" are in attendance, and in their respective seats: my dad, Tammy, Jav, Eddy and Uncle Ronald. It seems like they're playing one of his favorite games--Texas Hold 'Em.
Boy, Nick had no luck today at cards, so he figured he'd try his luck with the horses. So now he's.....OFF TO THE RACES!!!!!!!! He's gonna see if his luck will change. He's hoping to win the big one today. (It's funny, because everytime he went to the track, he'd come back and say" Man, I did good today -- I won $200 bucks!" And then my dad would ask "but how much did you lose, Nick?" He'd laugh and say "about 3!!" Nicky's placing his bets, and we all know that may take awhile, so while he's busy there, let's hear a word from our sponsors......

A funny thing happened the other day--my kids were asking me where did Uncle Nicky get his nickname? Well, I didn't have the answer, so instaed I thought I'd tell them the story about the first time( as I recall) finding out that wasn't his name.
One day, when I was in the 3rd Grade, Sr. Dulcianne's class--it happened to be St. Nicholas Day. In honor of his feast day, we were told to make a card for someone named Nick. Of course, Uncle Nicky came to mind. I remember after school running to the back house to give Uncle Nicky his construction paper card! He took the card and said "what's this?" I told him that I made a card for him to honor his feast day St. Nick. He looked at the card and laughed "that's nice" he said, "but my name's not Nick--it's Walter!!!" I remember we laughed and he told me to take a freeze pop on my way out. I don't know how many freeze pops us kids had from Uncle Nicky. It seems like once you tell your kids a story, you can't stop there. Nostalgia sets in and suddenly you are 7 years old again. One of the most important things I'll remember about Uncle Nicky is everything was always--"for the kids!" Whenever he went shopping, he'd give my dad chips, candy and soda and say--"here, this is "for the kids." Whenever we went to the back house to see grandma and grandpa, he'd always be cooking something. If there was a pot of rice that he had just made for himself, he'd tell my gram "give it for the kids."
That's one thing, Uncle Nicky did---Cook! He made rice- the real kind-not the one that comes in a box! He loved to make his tamales in a jar and grandma's Gumpke.(It didn't taste quite the same as grandma's or even my mom's, but he tried) . Speaking of food, that reminds me, I remember when me, Tiffany and Eddy were young, we would "run away" from home. We wouldn't go far--just to the back house! When the 3 of us got there, Uncle Nicky would tell us---"C'mon guys, I'll set yous up in the fronchroom!" Yes, I did say fronchroom! He'd go and tell my gram " call the front house and tell them the kids are alright.We'll feed 'em , let 'em watch some t.v. and let 'em fall asleep. We'll send them back later!" Uncle Nicky would pull out the "John's" pizza, which came in a 3 pack. We each had our own pizza, some rice and a glass of kool-aid. We'd watch a movie and fall asleep. So everytime he'd see the 3 of us standing at the doorstep(next to the huge pile of newspapers), he'd ask us "are you guys running away again, or just visiting this time?"
He always took care of the kids like we were his own. If we fell down or got hurt, we knew to go and see Uncle Nick. He'd sit us down in the bathroom and he'd pull out the mercurachome out of the medicine cabinet. He'd say "don't worry, it doesn't burn"--and then he'd pour it on, and we would scream---because it burned!! But he said "if I told you that it burned, you wouldn't let me put it on and fix you up!" Then he'd send us back out to play. He always wqatched out for us kids. Sometimes a little more than we liked. Whenever he heard loud noises coming from the attic, he'd call the front house and say "Crys, I think the kids are rummaging through the attic again!"
There were a few foods he'd like to make his own "special" way. Like his chili with rice and oyster crackers (that he always brought me and Jav when we were first married), and how about his sloppy joe's --WITHOUT the meat! And let's not forget about his macaroni and cheese--who knew you were supposed to add MILK!!
Whenever we wanted candy from Connie's store, we knew to ask Uncle Nicky. He'd tell us --"go on my dresser and take 2 quarters-each! We couldn't run fast enough to get inside. So when me and Tiffany used to go in his room and see all of the coins on his dresser, we thought--"Man, we hit the jackpot! Uncle Nicky must be rich!" So, I'll have to admit--there were times we took an extra quarter or 2!! It seems that he always knew and said"now, next time you'll get 1 or 2 less!" But as usual we always got the same--maybe more. We figured that he was rich because who else would have coins covering their entire dresser? Little did we know that it was probably Uncle Nicky's last dollar that he was giving "for the kids!"
I'm so glad that my kids experienced the same "uncle Nicky" that i had growing up. They knew he'd give them dollars when he had it, he'd drop off chips, soda and cotton candy for Joey. My daughters always looked forward to him bringing bags of stuffed animals, Halloween costumes, and little knick-knacks for them He always said to me "here's some stuff--'for the kids'!"They laughed when he told stories of when him and Papa were young. They were "amazed" when he told the story about Elvis in the Army! So I guess in their eyes, he was like the "rich man" I knew him to be as a child. They always said it was like having 2 Papas. He was there to drop off or pick up everyone's kids. He'd take you to the store, he taught me how to drive, and he'd even teach you how to paint. He'd show you how to fix a thing or two with some black tape and caulk!!
Uncle Nicky never needed to have any kids,because he had enough already~ I think 31 in all~ counting all of the nieces and nephews and their kids. He treated them all the same--never once saying the word "NO" to any of us.
Uncle Nicky always said "Man, it seems like I can never get ahead--no matter what I do!" I guess he didn't realize how far ahead of the game he really was. He had a family that loved and appreciated him ,probably more than he ever knew. He didn't need to go to the track to win--he was already a winner!
I suppose that was a common bond that he shared with Damiana--gambling! They would talk about poker and the slot machines. He'd always ask her if she won on the slots or how she was doing on the boat. Damiana even played a horse for him when he was in the hospital one time!
He was happy to see Carla's baby. He was so exited to see the newest "little one" as he would call her. He would go through the Beanie babies with Carla and ask her if she had Tabascothe bull. That's one he always looked for.
The all-time funniest memory I have is when Uncle Nicky, me, Jav, Tiffany and Danny tried to move a couch from the basement to the upstairs at my house. Between all of us, you'd think it would be easy to move a piece of furniture! After about an hour of pushing and shoving, Uncle Nicky putting 3 holes in the wall, breaking a banister--they still couldn't get the couch up the stairs! I never seen Uncle Nicky laugh so hard---EVER! He was trying to hold the couch and his pants up with the same hand. Needless to say, it didn't work! Jav, Tiffany and Danny were laughing so hard, we all had tears in our eyes. I'll never forget the look on Uncle Nicky's face, when he asked Jav for a hammer and he brought him a little toy hammer. Nicky laughed so hard his face was beet red!! In the end, the couch stayed in the basement.He always said that was one of the best times he ever had.
I think the hardest thing for me will be seeing my dad without him. I know everyone will always look for Uncle Nicky wherever my dad goes. They were inseperable! He'd come over every Saturday at 10 a.m. They would go to 79th street and start making their 'rounds.' They would spend the day running errands, going to the junkyard, the cemetery, the grocery store, watching t.v. and of course----arguing!! Everyone used to joke about how they were their own comedy act when working on a car together. It was quite comical to see the way they totally disagreed the whole time but in the end the car was fixed and they did it --together!!
I'll always think of him when i watch the 3 stooges, Abbott and Costello, when I smell freshly popped popcorn, watch a card game, see a horse race, eat a hamburger or some licorice. I guess I can even look down at the scar on my hand where he hooked me with the fishing rod! I know it is hard to let go of someone you love so much, but I know that he would want us to be happy that is in a better place and he'd want us all to be strong "for the kids."
Now let's get back to the race....
Looks like Nicky made up for lost time during our break! For a while it seemed he was stalling for quite some time there. He began to grow weaker and slowed down. You can see how tired he looks coming around the last turn. He's on the home stretch now. C'mon Nick, let's go--you can do it!! Everyone is rooting for Uncle Nicky to win the race. He's picking up the pace and is just about there. The finish line is within his reach...just a few more steps. And the winner is.....Uncle Nicky in lane #4!!!! He's crossed the finish line!!
No matter how many stops you made along the way, no matter how weak and tired you grew in the end --you did it! You finally won the big one!!! It's a good thing you wore your lucky horseshoe ring. This is better than winning the Trifecta!! We are all so very proud of you. There he is smiling from ear to ear. He's so happy and at peace. I've never seen him look happier. And there was grandma and grandpa--waiting to meet him, pinning on his blue ribbon!!

Hey Nick-----I guess today was FINALLY your lucky day!!!!!
Love, Brandi

Dear Ed, Crystal and Family,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. May your memories fill your hearts with great comfort.

Sincerely

Dear Ed, Crystal and Family, I am so sorry to hear about Nick's passing. I have many wonderful memories from Family gatherings. He was a very sweet man and a good son, brother and uncle that I saw. Know that he is in Heaven and all is well for him now. God Bless you all.

There are so many things that I can say about Uncle Nicky. First of all, he was a very strong man. He never let anything get the best of him. He has been through more hard times than everybody I know put together. He was very down to earth, even though he may have been shy to people other than his family. He was always there for everyone, and I mean always there. He would drive you somewhere if you needed a ride, and it didn't matter how far away it was. You could try to offer him gas money, but he would never take it. He would always bring over McDonald's, even if he didn't think anyone was home. He would always ask what you have been up to, or what you were going to be doing. I know that he has helped me NUMEROUS amount of times on my cars! I remember the one, he even waxed my car just because he was bored.

I can still remember when he lived with Grandma, and anytime we would go over there, he would give me a plastic bag full of pennies. I can even remember when he lived upstairs with Grandma and Gruffy.

His favorite food-Golobki (or Gowumki as we say it!)

The one time, he was in the backyard, and took out an axe, and chopped what looked like a snake. Turned out to be the hose!

One of his favorite places to go-The junkyard! He liked going on half price days. I do remember driving with him and my dad one day in the station wagon, going to the junkyard. I would ride all the way in the back, where the seats flipped up sideways. That was the best seat. And when we got to the junkyard, the guy said I was too little to go in.

Another time, I remember he came over, and said that while he was at the junkyard, he looked down and saw a $100 bill. He walked some more and found two more $100 bills. What a lucky day for him!

I know that everytime he came over, he would always ask for coffee! He never asked for anything else-just coffee with cream.

He loved to gamble! He loved going to the track. I always said, "Hey! You only live one. Might as well have fun now, cuz you can't take your money with you."

I remember the one time he told me about when he was in the war, and he said that he saw Elvis. I never got a chance to ask him the whole story, and I wish I did.

A few years ago, he got really sick, and was taken to the hospital. He hated doctors and hospitals. I really thought we were going to lose him then, but he pulled through. It was so rough seeing him in the hospital like that. I stayed there a few hours, even though he couldn't talk or do anything. I felt so helpless, just watching him lay there in pain.

After that, he started staying with us every weekend, and I would give up my bedroom for him to stay in, even if it meant that I had to sleep on the floor, or on the couch. He would wait till I got home from work, just so I could get my things out of the bedroom that I needed, even if I didn't get out of work till after 10pm.

I wish that I could have helped him more, like give him a place to stay or anything else that he needed. He knew I would always listen to his stories he had. Sometimes, I think of myself as a miniature him.

Uncle Nicky will be greatly missed by everyone, but to me, it will be as though my buddy is gone.

Love always,
Damiana

Dear Uncle Nicky,
You have always been there for me whenever I needed you for anything. Whether it was to take me to my basketball or softball games in grammar school, or to work. You were more than just an uncle to me. You were more like a second dad. Anytime I am at a casino or racetrack, I will always think of you. And when I win big someday, it will be because you were my lucky charm. Oh, we ended up going to the boat last Thursday, the day you passed away, and played in a poker tournament and slots. We didn't win in the tournament, but we did alright on the slots. But you and I know, we can never leave a winner. We always have to keep on playing! I should have stopped over, cuz we passed your exit. I regret that I didn't now. Me, Sydney, and Alana will miss you very much! We love you and we hope that you are watching down on us always, cuz we will never forget you.

Nicky was the name my uncle went by. I remember when I first found out that it wasn't his real first name, I thought they were lying and I thought if his name is Walter, than why do we call him Nicky? but even though his name is Walter, I will always remember my uncle as Uncle Nicky. I have so many memories of my uncle that I wouldn't be able to write down on this paper, but a few was when I was younger, me and my childhood friend would always go to the drug store, and like always, we'd see Nicky sitting on the porch with his hat on. He'd ask us where were we going and I'd say the drug store, he would always tell me to wait and he'd give us money to go buy some candy. Another memory of mine is when I had to go to summer school and Nicky was the only one that would be able to drive me to and from the school, so every morning he'd take me to school and he'd always listen to 95.5 in the car and I'd always have to listen to JAZZ. I started to hate jazz after hearing every song they played, but now when I see that station or listen to a jazz song, I will think of Nicky. I remember everytime I'd walk past Nicky, he'd always ask me what I did to my jeans, because they were so long and all ripped on the bottom edges. He'd say " Where the heck did you go get those pants from?" "Go buy some pants that actually fit you" and I told him I couldn't because I was too short for pants to fit me. My uncle always wore his hat, the first time I seen him without his hat, I didn't reconize him. I've only see him without his hat maybe 2 times since I was born. He'd always wear his hat when he went to the bathroom, went in the bedroom to sleep, to work on cars and even to just sit and watch TV with my dad. When I mentioned my Uncle Nicky to my friends, they all would say,"the one guy with the hat?" and I would say "yep, that uncle". Nicky wasn't just a uncle to me, but he was like a grandfather to me, since I don't have any grandparents, he was the closest to it. My nieces and nephews looked at him like a grandfather too. They all loved and adored him. I'm really grateful that my uncle got to see my daughter Aleyah before he passed, but I wish he would have be able to see her grow into a little girl, just like he did with all my nieces and nephews. Now that Nicky is gone, there will always be something missing in mine and my family's heart, but also in my house. My house was just as much of Nicky's house, than it was mine.


Uncle Nicky, you'll always be remembered in my mind, but mostly in my heart. I wish you were still here so I could bring you your coffee everyday that I seen you and go to get you your hamburgers. I know you're in a better place up above with no worries or sufferings anymore, watching down on me and Aleyah. You're her GUARDIAN ANGEL now. Please watch over us. We love you and miss you immensely.

Love always and forever,
your little one Carla