A Tribute to Buzzy

by   Michael Owens

When I first met Buzzy and we started talking, I knew we were going to be friends. We would sit around and chew the fat, and tell jokes and laugh about them. Buzzy could get you laughing with no problem.

It’s not the same at the meetings and at the Market now that Buzzy is gone. When he would come to the meetings, he would start telling jokes and make us all laugh. Now the meetings seem boring without him there. We all seemed like family when he was around and now he is gone but not forgotten. 

Buzzy and I always talked about selling the paper at the Westside Market. He gave me tips about selling the paper. He told me to always be nice to people and that the public is always right. He told me to always keep my mind on the job and not to concentrate on anything else but selling the paper. 

He was always there when I needed help and would help anyone who needed it. He would hang around when I was selling the paper, and if I needed a break, he would take over for me. We would buy each other coffee and help each other out with things that we needed. We always worked well together. 

Buzzy had regular customers that would faithfully come and buy the paper from him. They were nice people and they had respect for him selling the paper. They would give him a tip every once in a while. Sometimes they would bring us food or a sandwich. Buzzy was well known at the market and had many people who were regular customers.

Buzzy started selling at the market years ago when the paper was called the Grapevine. He continued to sell when the paper changed over to the Cleveland Street Chronicle. He was always eager to help if anyone had a problem, and he always had an answer to solve the problem.

Buzzy was a gentleman who was always nice to people, and he talked to people with respect. He spent a lot of time talking to people, and he was able to make friends easily. 

I miss seeing him and not being able to talk to him. His regular customers miss him. They have said that they hated the fact that he is no longer there to sell them the paper. Many people were shocked at his passing which was so sudden. It’s going to take a while to get used to him not being there to sell papers and help people out. May he rest in peace!