For Yeskies' birthday, a relative sows a vision
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NORTHAMPTON - To many, the late Paul W. Yeskie Sr. was known for his simple gifts, particularly the kind that came fresh from a small plot he tended in the Meadows.
Today, the day Yeskie and his son, Paul Jr., shared birthdays, one relative who cherished his gifts of produce is planning a project to memorialize their lives.
Both men died when their 17 Fair St. home burned Dec. 27 in a fire authorities allege was deliberately set.
Bernadette Giblin, whose late husband was Paul Sr.'s nephew, hopes to create a community gardening project that exemplifies Paul Sr.'s respect for the land, his love of growing things and his generous nature. She envisions cultivating produce in a venture than teaches participants about organic agriculture, yields fresh food for the needy and inspires community service.
"On their birthday, I'm remembering what a precious gift life is," Giblin said. "As we all move forward with our lives, I don't want us to forget them and the good work they did."
Giblin's project is in its infancy. She said she has the support of Ward 3 City Councilor Angela Plassmann and will be seeking both a location for the gardening project and volunteers. Anyone interested in helping can contact her by email at beingiblin@gmail.com.
"I was a recipient of his food for years," she said of Paul Sr., a retired builder who was 81 when he died. Yeskie was known for bringing packages of fresh produce to people around the city. "It's the growing, but it's also the generosity of giving. Both of these guys had generous hearts."
Giblin used to garden with Paul Sr. off Venturer's Field Road in the Meadows, when she lived on Williams Street. She recalls his thrifty use of natural fertilizers and believes that, like her, he supported organic agriculture. She now runs a consulting business, Safeground Organic Landcare, that provides advice on organic landscaping and green business.
"He naturally was a firm believer in composting," she said of the elder Yeskie.
Giblin holds that an organic, "do no harm" gardening project - in a subtle way - pushes back against the tragedy that struck on Fair Street early Dec. 27, for which a young man is now facing murder and other charges.
Along with the fire that destroyed the Yeskie dwelling, a family lost their home on Union Street and a quick succession of other blazes wreaked havoc in the city.
"We're all dealing with the fallout of this violent act in our community," Giblin said. "I'm just trying to make peace around it. ... Something can grow here beyond that violence that maybe we all can learn from."
Today, on the two men's birthday, Giblin plans to spend time with Paul Sr.'s older brother Peter, who lives in Hadley. "I guess every human being on the planet is familiar with grief. I've been crying and remembering him, and obviously Paul Jr., too."
On Sunday, she plans to go polka dancing - a passion held by the younger Yeskie. She says she met many polka fans who knew Paul Jr. at the men's wake and funeral a week ago. "Paul Jr. has sent me a message that I need to dance," she said.
Larry Parnass, the Gazette's editor, can be reached at lparnass@gazettenet.com.
