When I heard that Tilt-a-Whirl Joe, a man well known in our
community for operating the tilt-a-whirl at Kiddieland, had passed away at the age
of 93, my heart immediately broke and warmed at the same time. When I think of
influence, I think of someone or something that is larger than life and hard to
ignore. That isn’t always the case. Joe was a small unassuming man. He
faithfully operated the tilt-a-whirl since 1986. He didn’t just operated it….
He owned it! He owned it in the sense that he put his whole heart and soul into
each ride, carefully watching the faces of the tiny tots who giggled and
squealed with each turn of the cart. When my kids were small, I loved watching as he pulled the stick that made the carts whirl with a wide grin, ride
after ride, after ride. He seemed to take the joy of each passenger personally.
He closely monitored each face to make sure the tiny tots were having a good
time. He didn’t hesitate to stop the ride when a wee one became overwhelmed. He
was the epitome of Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatsoever your hands find to do, do it
with all your might.” His image is etched in my memory and the memory of my community. My husband and I work the Welcome Desk at our church, and every
service he would come to the desk to get one of the hearing devices made
available. He always had a sweet
smile and a kind word. On more than one occasion, I remember thinking to myself…..
“I want to be just like him when I grow up.”
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