Page 47 - MNLGA Free State Winter 2025

practice. Not the smoothest start, but if you know them, you know it’s perfect.

From Yardley, his story took him to Delaware Valley College, where he pursued his passion for horticul-
ture. When he got dropped off at school, his dad told him, “Don’t call me when you get kicked out.” Well,
he never had to make that call. Instead, he made the Dean’s List over and over again. He worked his way
through school, proving with every step that hard work and dedication were just part of who he was.
The next chapter was set in Michigan. He and Mimi got married and headed off together. He earned his
Master’s degree at Michigan State—Go Spartans!—He did some teaching while he was there. If you want-
ed to learn, Dad was the best kind of teacher. If you didn’t, well, there’s a student or two who probably
still remembers getting hit with an eraser for not paying attention. If you knew my Dad, that story totally
makes sense.

Then came a chapter that was harder to write. One he didn’t talk much about—except maybe after a
couple of bourbons.
Vietnam.
It was a dark and complicated time in our country’s history—and a difficult one for him, and our family.
But, like every other part of his life, he answered the call and did what was asked of him.

When he came home, he returned to a country that had changed. But he also came back to a family
that never wavered—a family that loved him, supported him, and stood by him.
He eventually took a new job with Moon Nurseries and Rickert Landscaping. And like everything he did,
he gave it his all.
Things Dad always said to me: “Keep your mouth shut, your ears open, and you just might learn some-
thing.” Another was, “If you’re going to dig a ditch, be the best ditch digger there is. Work hard and work
smart.”

And he didn’t just say those things—he lived it. His work ethic opened doors to leadership and owner-
ship at Moon Nurseries, and his hands helped build projects from New Jersey to Washington, D.C. Along
the way, earning recognition in the Landscape Industry, including a Presidential award.
But he still had that dream to own his own business. And in 1989, the Kent County chapter began. When
most people relocate, they look for schools or neighborhoods. Dad looked at soil maps. That’s how we
landed in Still Pond.
And even though we’ll always be “come-here’s” or “chicken-neckers,” he settled in like he had always
belonged. For him, Kent County was heaven on earth.

The Speakman Nurseries chapter is a big one. Many of you in this room are a part of it. There were chal-
lenging times, but the good far outweighed the bad. And I want to say, from the bottom of my heart,
thank you. Thank you to everyone who worked with him, supported him, and believed in him. You
helped make his dream come true.
Now, some would say that’s the end of the story. Close the book. Or, as he would say, “That’s all she
wrote.” But I don’t believe that.

I believe his story is just getting started.
(continued on next page)

Membership Matters • WINTER 2025 47