Gary, Our Own Dennis the Menace

This is a story about my little brother, Gary Gene Riddle, born on November 4, 1951, the third child born to Mildred and Elmo Riddle.  Gary was a beautiful baby and as a toddler, his hair turned the most beautiful shade of auburn I have ever seen and of course, he had the freckles to go along with the red hair.  He was definitely the personification of a true "Dennis the Menace" too.  I remember my sister, Kathy, asking Mom once if perhaps they had brought the wrong child home from the hospital--could the nurses have gotten them mixed up somehow?  You see, he was a little different from the other two children, Kathy and Eddie.

Gary loved to play Cowboys and Indians with his older brother, Eddie, when Kathy wasn't trying to dress the boys as little girls and have tea parties.  She got away with it when he was two or three, but as he became older, I am sure he wouldn't have any part of putting on that dress and wig.  

This is a picture of Gary and their dog, Jill.  It looks like Jill might be getting ready for a bath in that tin tub. Another picture I found of Gary just being cute and "innocent".  Eddie said Gary did get his share of spankings but spankings didn't have much of an affect on him anyway!

I don't know much about his young school years but I can only imagine he never sat still in class and was always in trouble, but you have to admit his school pictures were very cute and he finally did grow into those big ears!

Gary didn't finish high school and was drafted into the Army in 1970 and sent to Vietnam.  He worked on helicopter maintenance and was a gunner on the helicopter.

The Vietnam war changed this beautiful auburn-haired boy.  He went to Vietnam as one person and came home another, as so many of our young men did. 

Gary's health deteroriated over the next few years after he came back in 1974.  He was a heavy smoker and continued to drink, but I believe the result of his bad health was Agent Orange used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program during the Vietnam war that damaged his lungs and caused prolonged deteroriation to his body.

  

Gary married Mary Canada after he returned home and they had two daughters.  However, he and Mary divorced after 10 years and he had very little contact with his daughters after that.  Gary became a bit of recluse and drank more heavily but lived with Mom for a time.  Gary was able to buy some land out in the woods, and built a little one-room house to live in until he passed away on October 4, 2001, one month before his 51st birthday.  

He finally began receiving his disability benefits two years before he died. 

Our youngest brother, Ricky John, officiated Gary's military service on a very cold and rainy day in October 2001.  His older daughter, Mary, was given the American Flag that draped his casket. Our Mom preceded him in death only two years before, but before she died she helped buy a small plot of land for him on which he built that little one-room house. 

I still miss my beautiful auburn-haired, blue-eyed little brother and think about him a lot. He would call me from time-to-time just to check in and let us know he was okay.  I miss the country "twang" in his voice and the fact that he corrected me one time when I was talking about guitar strings.  He told me them ain't "strings", they're "strangs".   Oh well, he knew better than I when it came to "strangs" and "thangs"!  Gary was pure country but he served his Country well!

Gary, Mary,Heather & Little Mary