We lost "Mr. Bingo" last night to the evil cancer. Floyd Halverson well always be remembered in our community as "Mr. Bingo" because he was the man who introduced us to card bingo (played with a deck of cards rather than numbered balls). Every Sunday during the winter months people flocked to our clubhouse to hear Floyd call off with a strong voice the cards as regular bingo callers would call off the numbers. He would sometimes "forget" that all the spades or hearts had been discarded bringing forth jokeing admonitions from the players. It was good social fun and Floyd relished his part in it. Floyd will also be remembered by his friends for his tenacity, his will to live. Several years ago his doctor told him to go home and get his affairs in order because he didn't have long to live. This really angered Floyd. He fired his doctor and set off to prove him wrong. Friends could see him gradually getting weaker but he always answered "I'm doing OK'' when asked "How are you doing". On Saturday last Floyd and his loving wife Berniece came to the Memorial Day potluck in our community. I could see he was having a hard time getting out of the car and asked him if he needed some support to get in the clubhouse. "No," he said, waving a cane, "I'm doing pretty good with this thing." All of the neighbors and friends who were there were glad to see him and wish him well. We all could see that he was weak and peaked but didn't let him know. Little did we know that It would be the last time we would see our friend Floyd. Late Sunday when we saw the fire truck and the EMRs, followed by a sheriff's deputy, we knew Floyd had given up the good fight. I'm sure he appreciated that one last visit with friends as he did the his favorites that wife Berniece made for him that last day: angel food cake with rhubarb and strawberries. Satisfied, he closed his eyes and went to be with God. If they play bingo in heaven surely Floyd will be become "Mr. Bingo" there as well.
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