Life of Warner Huss through his nephew’s eyes

First of all I want to thank you for coming. Warner’s passing, although maybe not surprising given his health issues the past few years still came very unexpectedly. He was coming out for my Grandma Wright’s 90 th birthday celebration and was his chance to see all of the family. Let me start by stating the obvious that he was born in Williston and grew up here until the 8th grade when his family moved to the Minneapolis area.

(SLIDE) That summer he ended up staying and playing baseball and living with my mom’s parents. Warner spoke of that often and how much respect he had for both of them. The story that I heard the most was that Warner was outside playing and didn’t have a shirt on. It was time for supper and he ran into the house found a shirt, put it on, and sat down for supper. My grandpa turned to him and said you don’t have to worry about putting a shirt on at this table. The caring and kindness my grandparents showed during that summer stuck with Warner throughout his life. Also, Warner said he gained about twenty pounds over that particular summer because of all the baking that my grandma used to do.

(SLIDE)Even up to last Thursday Warner was always talking about my Grandma Wright’s Rhubarb pie. My grandma often baked a pie for him when he would show up in Williston. He never shared it and always took it with him. I was

always worried he was going to have a diabetic emergency along the highway as I pictured him with a spoon eating this pie on his drive back to Minneapolis.

(SLIDE) We all have a picture of what heaven looks like and I imagine Warner playing one on one with my Dad while his parents, sable the lab that he shared with David McMahon and relatives (or relies as Warner would put it) and friends watching and at time outs eating rhubarb pie and drinking regular coke.

So now let me take you to a few years later after I was born and at least a couple of years old. I’ve only ever talked to Warner about this memory that I have but I count it as my first “sticking” memory of Warner.

(SLIDE) I was with my Dad Mike, Warner, and I believe one other person too and we were playing miniature golf at an indoor place in Fargo. The place in my memory looks big with water in there and putting greens. Years later Warner and I were driving around Fargo and I mentioned that I had this memory and if he recalled. He did and couldn’t believe that I remembered that, me either. My Dad passed away when I was three years old so I hesitate to tell you how old I was during this golf game but I do know that I was walking. As Warner and I drove around Fargo he showed me the building that the course used to be in.

Ok let’s again fast forward a few years, to about the time I was 8 years old.

(SLIDE) We went to Minneapolis to see my grandparents and have a big family picture. As I grew up that picture always kind of bugged me as I had a screwed up smile in the picture. Apparently in each proof there was someone’s face that was distorted, (or they just told me that to make me feel better), and my Grandma Huss chose my face to be distorted as she had a picture where my dad in his younger years had a similar face. As I’ve grown the picture has become more special to me and it is the only picture we have where my Dad’s parents, brother and sisters with kids are in it. Anyway back to Warner. I believe it was around that time that he gave me my first gift. It was a wallet and I remember standing in the laundry room of my grandparent’s apartment building and he handed it to me. My son has that wallet today. The gift of that Wallet was the start of many gifts from Warner.

(SLIDE) If any of you ever have a chance to visit my office you will find an office decorated in American Indian Culture, mostly coming from Warner.

(SLIDE) Again flash forward a few years it was the summer before my senior year of high school and Warner got me a job working as a lifeguard at an InMed camp in Minnesota.

(SLIDE) After the camp was over we went over to Waubun and got in a pickup basketball game. I drove through the lane and in a freak accident dislocated my foot as I was going in for a layup. The players helped me get in the back of Warner’s car and I was able to rest my foot up in the front.

(SLIDE) He drove me all the way back to Fargo some 75 miles that evening and right to the emergency room (He did stop off for a diet coke on the way to Fargo). They took x-rays and found it was broken in a not very convenient spot. They didn’t want to do surgery as I had eaten a big steak dinner with some friends before the game. They tried to set my foot with Warner holding my shoulders and the doctor pulling on my foot. It was certainly a memorable experience. They could not set it, had to take me into surgery and pumped my stomach. Warner told me he smoked a lot of cigarettes that night.

Ok a couple of more years later. This is the time in my life that I spent most with Warner.

(SLIDE) He was recruiting for Concordia College and I was interested in attending. With my parents support I attended and graduated from Concordia College. During this time I was able to spend and develop some good relationships with Warner, Mary Melroe and her sons Paul, John, and David. Warner was transitioning from Concordia to the White Earth Rediscovery Center. As a summer job, my friend Chad Hermanson and I were hired to work at the rediscovery center.

(SLIDE) The first day we were there Warner suggested that we sit in the outdoor sauna as he had the rocks heating up all day. Warner dumped a little bit more water on the rocks than he should have for us unseasoned sauna users. Steam rolled off the ceiling and back wall and hit us. Chad ran out of the sauna screaming every cuss word imaginable. Warner sat there laughing. Consequently, we were in incredible shape after that summer as we cut down trees and split wood every day only to burn it in the sauna to build up our tolerance to compete with Warner.

Before I tell you my last couple stories, you are all probably wondering about the name included below his on the service bulletin that most of you (including myself) cannot pronounce. Warner, several years back was honored with a naming ceremony. Ozhaawaa means yellow and Binase is bird and this name was given to Warner in reference to the bald eagle, certainly a very respected bird in the American Indian Culture. I was very proud of my Uncle and Warner was very honored by this however, in true cousin (or relie) and friend fashion they called him (Slide) big bird.

Warner and I made several trips together between Moorhead and White Earth. You all knew Warner would often times get into money making deals.

(SLIDE) Some of the things in the past that have come my way were calling cards (a pyramid deal), air cleaners, and most recently insulated concrete forms. Anyway Warner and I were driving on Highway 10 to Detroit lakes and just outside of Moorhead there was a big snapping turtle sitting on the side of the road.

(SLIDE) Warner pulled off the road and slammed on his brakes. He told me you can get good money for snapping turtles in Minnesota so let’s pick it up and put it in the trunk. Here we were sitting alongside the highway and planning out how we were going to put the turtle in the trunk. We snuck up behind it (can’t imagine what people driving by were thinking), and I had no idea turtles can do this, but Warner kicked its butt and the turtle jumped in the air did a 180 stuck its head out and snapped at Warner. I said I’m done and we ran back to the car leaving the turtle on the side of the road.

Finally, Paul McMahon will probably remember this next story or at least some version of it. It was during this time that Warner started a moving company with Paul and I being his two number one nonpaid employees. You all have heard of piano movers well we weren’t moving pianos it happened to be antique stoves.

(SLIDE) I don’t know where he found these stoves and I’m not sure how many stoves we ever moved, maybe we just moved one a lot of times. That was 20 years ago and I’m still haunted by the word antique. Jump ahead to last year Warner, my wife, and I were at Jon and Wendy Ellefson’s auction. What did Jon have at his auction…? Two antique stoves. Warner’s eyes lit up and I told him your antique stove moving credit has a negative balance, no more. They sold one stove without him even bidding. The next stove came up, it was the potbelly stove, they started out the bidding at 150.00 and no one made an offer they dropped it down to 50 and he said I gotta bid on this, I said “what” He said don’t worry Shawn someone else will bid on it. He held up his number, next thing I know going twice, sold to Warner Huss (auctioneers knew him of course) and all I could say was shit how are you going to get that home. He said I think it will fit in my van, if not you can have it. I said no we’re getting it in your van. We did, and now guess what. That stove is waiting for me in Wisconsin when we go over to clean out his storage unit. I was telling my wife this the other night and she said it’s ok we can put it in our new house. NO! And by the way, the other antique stove was purchased by a doctor in town and she was needing assistance in getting it home. In true Warner fashion he said “Shawn has had a lot of experience moving antique stoves he can help”. I did. I love you Uncle and keep the party going up there till we meet again! Thank you everyone for coming. Warner told me a lot of stories over the years and some of his favorites were often repeats. I know there are people in the room that witnessed some of these events first hand. Please share.