More than just Schwan's . . .

Today is Schwan's day. Bill has written out the order, but we don't know if it will be filled on the usual Thursday schedule.

Schwan's days have changed over the years, as have our drivers. Whenever we have a driver stick with his route for more than a few months, he becomes one of the much-appreciated staples of our everyday life.

The Schwan's men and their big yellow trucks over the years have kept our freezer well-stocked with ice cream, other desserts, fish and meat products, etc. They've also added their own special brand of service during those few minutes every other week of checking over the order and seeing that everything is available on the truck.

Back when Mike Bowman was our Schwan's deliveryman, he'd come on Fridays. One Friday I'll never forget. It involved the late Margeaux Hemingway.

It was a Friday morning in the 1980s when one of my students, a Deshon twin, asked me in senior English class if I'd like to ride the float with Margeaux in the Winter Carnival parade. His mom was the Chamber of Commerce coordinator of the Winter Carnival, and they were apparently looking for a friendly local to keep the famous model company while she rode on the flatbed truck as that year's carnival grand marshal.

Of course, I jumped at the chance. So, young Mr. Deshon told me he'd call me that afternoon after school with the details. My kids were young at the time, and Bill was working in Coeur d'Alene.

Once I learned that I was expected to be down at the beach by 5 p.m., and it was already after 4:40 p.m., a dilemma presented itself: what to do with the kids until Bill arrived home.

At that very moment, an angel in a big yellow truck came down the driveway. It was Mike, the Schwan's deliveryman, ready to take the order that Bill had filled out earlier in the day. When I explained my situation, Mike said to get in the car and get on down there. He would watch the kids until Bill got home, and he'd tell Bill the plan so that my husband could join Margeaux and me in the parade.

Talk about going beyond the job description! Mike watched the kids. Bill arrived home and picked up the kids. Mike went on with his Schwan's route, and Bill and I had the time of our lives laughing and joking with a very friendly and nice Margeaux on the parade flatbed. The kids watched and waved at Mom and Dad as they passed by flanking the famous celebrity.

We've always appreciated Mike for that gesture. He went above and beyond on a few more occasions during his stint with Schwan's. We also got to know Jeff, a nice young man from St. Maries who served out our Schwan's orders for a number of years before going to work for Waste Management.

And, Tom Renfrow, who had formerly run a music shop in the Bonner Mall, became a Schwan's driver. I could not even begin to chalk up the range of topics we discussed over his years as our driver on Great Northern Road---weather, building houses, speculating on what new developments were going to occur, trips to the South---you name it---we talked about it.

Then, we left Tom behind and moved out here to Selle. That meant a new Schwan's man and a new day for deliveries--Thursdays. Little did we know that it would also mean several Schwan's men. Seems there's been a big turnover on this route, and it seems like we talked to a lot of managers who were orienting the new guys to the route.

Finally, along came Steve. Steve has been our Schwan's man for a number of months now, and we were just getting to know him. Bill forgot to fill out the Schwan's order two weeks ago today. It seems his mind was more tuned in to the hike he was taking that day in the Selkirks.

It's uncharacteristic for Bill to forget Schwan's day, but when I realized he had that day, I tried to call him on his cell phone. No luck. Then, I hoped he'd arrive home in time to figure out the order. No dice again. The Schwan's truck came rolling down South Center Valley Road, and I had to think on my feet about what Bill would like to add to the freezer.

That was okay with Steve because he enjoyed chatting while I thumbed through the catalog and picked out items. During our visit, Steve told me about helping out with a community event in St. Maries the week before. It was obvious from his enthusiasm that the event was one of the nice perks of his job. It gave him a chance to get to know more people in the community.

We had just begun to learn about Steve and his life---grew up in Deer Park on a farm, knew and appreciated Border Collies like those here at the Lovestead who happily accepted his doggie biscuits the minute he stepped out of the truck. Steve was happy to be back up north after spending several years in Arizona.

Bill and I both knew we were going like Steve, just as much as our other Schwan's men of the past. Today is Schwan's day, and Steve will not come.

I read yesterday about a terrible accident near St. Maries where a Schwan's truck had collided with a dump truck. One person had died. The other was unconscious when the report was issued and posted on "Huckleberries Online." I sent the news item via email to Bill and we both waited nervously for the full report, which came later in the afternoon and confirmed our worst suspicions.

Steve died yesterday at age 48.

He, like other Schwan's men, delivered edible goodies to the folks along his route, but, like other Schwan's men, he delivered friendliness, professionalism, and wonderful service. We appreciate him for the short moments he spent parked in our driveway, pulling out boxes of drumsticks, ice cream bars and unbreaded chicken breasts.

More than anything, however, we appreciated his warmth and humanity and the fact that, like others who came before him, he did more than hand out bags of frozen food. We'll miss Steve, and we send out our deepest condolences to his family.