08.19.06
A Tribute to Buddy, A Very Special Cat
For our 50th post, we are featuring the memorial booklet for a very unique cat named Buddy who recently passed on. We posted his story about 35 people attending a cat memorial in our Cat News post on July 21, 2006, and I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from Robert Campbell thanking us, and he sent us Buddy’s memorial booklet. He and Peggy Nelson have kindly given us permission to publish this homage. We didn’t know Buddy, nor have we ever been to La Verne Avenue where he made a difference in so many people’s lives, but his story and legacy has certainly touched our hearts.
We send our utmost condolences to Buddy’s family and friends for their loss.
——–
Please click on the photos to enlarge.
BUDDY (1988-2006) has been the La Verne Avenue Mascot, Greeter, “Trick-or -Treater” and Friend for many years.
Buddy was born in 1988, according to the estimate of his veterinarian. That year a remix of the Disco Classic, “Born To Be Alive” appeared in clubs worldwide and it would epitomize Buddy’s personality.
His previous owner and new bride left Buddy in Belmont Shore and moved elsewhere, and Buddy found his way to La Verne Avenue, where he was taken in by Peggy Nelson.
His former name was “Max.” On La Verne he was re-christened (or “re-kittened”) “BUDDY”, because he made so many friends here. Speaking of christening, Buddy once followed Peggy, her family and friends to Peggy’s godson’s baptism at Bay Shore Church ! During his many years in residence on our block, longtime residents all called him “Buddy”, while newcomers, not yet properly introduced, were often heard to refer to him only as “Oh, cat. Oh, cat. Get out of there!”
A TRIBUTE FROM MARILYN, OUR TRUSTED POSTAL CARRIER
“I am so sorry to hear about Buddy. He was a great cat. He and I have been walking these streets for a long – long time. I’m going to miss him ! You are in my thoughts and prayers. Take care. Love, Marilyn”
Also, a story is told about a neighbor, on Christmas Eve, who bought a gift certificate from a store on Second Street as a present, but who got home and could not find the newly purchased gift certificate. The store where it was purchased was called on the phone as well as every stop made on the way home. Nobody had seen the gift certificate. So, the neighbor decided to retrace his steps from his home on La Verne back to Second Street. On the way, what did he find?
“There was Buddy, sitting on the gift certificate. Maybe he had seen me drop it and was guarding it until I came back to claim it.”
Like many cats, Buddy was motivated by the spirit of discovery, but he did not intend to do anything unlawful. After all, Peggy is the granddaughter of a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. Buddy also often enjoyed leafing through neighbor Robert Campbell’s law books, especially “Black’s Law Dictionary,” on which, like “The Grunion Gazette”, Buddy took several snoozes.
Photo credit: courtesy of the Nelson family
Buddy would knock on neighbor’s doors and would introduce himself that way sometimes to those moving onto La Verne. When he could sense visitors were coming to an occasion at a resident’s home he would often take it upon himself to usher them to the appropriate house.
He also fancied himself as the local “Watch Cat.” In his younger years and in the early age of cell phones he had a limited tolerance for those who could only talk on their cell phones out-of-doors on the street or on their front porches, while everyone else listened in on their conversations.
He went door-to-door “Trick-or-Treating” on Hallowe’en with the children and was once discovered on a Hallowe’en on the other side of The Toledo “Trick-or-Treating” all by himself, knocking on ground floor apartment doors.
Buddy would knock on neighbor’s doors and would introduce himself that way sometimes to those moving onto La Verne. When he could sense visitors were coming to an occasion at a resident’s home he would often take it upon himself to usher them to the appropriate house.He also fancied himself as the local “Watch Cat.” In his younger years and in the early age of cell phones he had a limited tolerance for those who could only talk on their cell phones out-of-doors on the street or on their front porches, while everyone else listened in on their conversations.
His spirit of adventure did take Buddy to many interesting places, however.Because he liked to investigate the back seats of cars and trucks when their owners had left the doors open, Buddy would often surface in the fast lane of some freeway on the way to somewhere. So he got to see a lot of the South Bay in California that way. Fortunately, even visitors to La Verne Avenue who became the unintended chauffeurs for Buddy always returned him back here to Belmont Shore.
Sign on highway reading: “If Buddy got in your backseat please return to La Verne” - created with Atom Smasher’s Highway Sign Generator at http://atom.smasher.org/highway/.
Dear Peggy and Family,
How sorry we are to hear about Buddy. My heart just broke this morning.We wanted you to know how much he was loved by us and all that met him.He spent many a morning on our top stair visiting with me and my cats. He even took an unexpected spin around the block in our car ! I have never met a cat like him and probably never will.
He will be unbelievably missed – I firmly believe that Heaven could not be Heaven without all of our loved ones so we shall see him again.
Our love and thoughts to you.
Grant, Martha, John and Ellie
Buddy was an “American Short Hair” cat. The American Shorthair’s relatives came from Europe on the Mayflower and with other early pioneers to North America. These cats were considered working cats that helped control rat populations when rats would eat the pioneer’s food supply and pass on diseases.
(Buddy and his new neighborhood protégé “Pinz” recently bestowed on the neighborhood “gifts” of newly-discovered rats uncoverd in a construction site, perhaps as a celebration of this Mayflower heritage !!!)
Buddy’s remains will always remain here on La Verne Avenue, but more importantly we know he will be with us in spirit and we all thank him so much for just being his inimitable self.
“Buddy has now become the Greeter in Kitty Heaven !” - Marge and Bob Campbell
“We are really sorry about Buddy – he will be truly missed – he really brought a lot of people down our street – La Verne will miss him !” - Casey, Dave and Chris
Many thanks also to Lynn Shrum and Marjorie Campbell for all their help with putting on Buddy’s Memorial Celebration.
