RIP Joe Marsico. 8-25-2011. Its been a fun journey.
Joe Marsico, the man who lived in a rusty trolley and attended almost every Whittier City Council Meeting over the past umpteen years, was found dead from heart failure today. His big plight was to bring back the trolleys to the streets. He had big plans and schematics, “The Missing Link” he called it, to solving the public transportation riddles of Whittier. The last time I saw him, he was cleverly mergi-blending his way into the Oral Communication line. He took off his armytan fishing hat and mumbled gravelly from beneath his wiry mustache of tinypipe-cleaners, to a book-ish man standing a few people in front of me “Keep your eye on the guy standing a few people behind me. The guy in the beard. He’s a psycho. He gets up there and tries to make the City Council laugh.”
When it came time for his 3 minutes at the podium, he mentioned his failing health, asking for donations to be sent to a church he was currently staying. After his time was up, he deftly navigated back through moving people, near to where I was waiting, while a loverly soft-spoken woman approached the podium to speak on behalf of her poodle’s wishes to install new dog parks in Whittier.
Moments before the Mystery Guitarist and I approached the podium to donate books, Joe edged past a dazed elderly woman turtle-ing alongue with her walker, looked at me with a fuzzy smile and graveled, “Knockem dead!” I had seen him at the past 3 City Council Meetings I’ve visited, but this was the first time we’ve ever had an interaction. I felt like I was initiated into some kind of Unofficial Whittier City Council Meeting Club
(I can imagine a patch of that: U.W.C.C.M.C. on a flag of some sort, or over the top of an image?) at that moment. It inspired me furthur when I got up to the podium. http://bit.ly/librarysong
After I handed out the books and walked to say goodbye to him, he said ‘Great job’ and we administered Official Politician-Patented Handshakes. I am honoured to have met him and entertained this Whittier Legend before he left us for The Great Trolley in the Cosmos.
Here is what the Whittier Daily News had to say about him: http://bit.ly/oO6nLa
I am including some articles of his adventures through the years, so U can get to know him a little bit better…
http://bit.ly/joejail
http://bit.ly/trolleysold
http://bit.ly/trolleyreleased
http://bit.ly/marsicoage
http://bit.ly/ptSgcX
We Shall Miss Our Neighbourhood Trolleyman
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