A Tribute to Jeff’s Dad | The Still Real to Us Show | Episode #784 – 02/20/25

0:00 It's still real to be damaged! Alright, welcome everybody to this week's edition and still real to show. Episode number 784 for February 20th, 2025. Jeff Pack, Dr. Tre Franklin here. I think everybody, you kind of figured if you're a listener of the show obviously, that this was supposed to be our 15th year anniversary special, that we were going to do with an award show. If you're seeing the title of the podcast here, it's a little bit different. On Friday morning, my father unexpectedly passed away. And just figured that I would sit here today and kind of talk about my old man with Dr. Tre, I really haven't watched the liquor wrestling at all. I have struggled.

0:59 I hope that we're kind of back to semi-normal next week and we'll discuss and try to get to doing the 15th year anniversary special, what have you, but I'm sure anybody that's out there that has lost a parent can relate to this, whether it's expected through a hospice care or somebody that's been ill or in my case, an unexpected passing. So kind of have a little cathartic and talk about it. I appreciate you hopping on here and doing this episode with me. So that's kind of what we're going to talk about today is in a way it tribute to my dad because as I was telling Dr. Tre off, I don't know if I'd be a wrestling fan today if it wasn't for him, honestly.

1:47 Yeah, I mean, it broke my heart when I saw the message that you put out about your dad and I was telling you off, it's been my biggest fear in my entire life as losing my dad. And my dad and I aren't, we don't talk all the time, but he was the ones who was there for me. So in the last week, I had to miss the show just because literally like wife and kid and Valentine's day stuff all popped up and I couldn't get free to do the show and then to see that it crushed me because it like you're one of my, you're one of my closest friends in a lot of ways and we've been together for so long and you know, I made it a point and literally I told you this week when you, when you brought this up, I was amazed you want to do the show this week. I mean, we could have done a, we could have done the best of, you know, addition for the first time ever in 15 years. This is an absolute reason to pull one out and when you say that you wanted the show, I literally said you tell me when and I will make sure I'm on the show. I don't care if I'm at work, but I'll clear my schedule for it because that's what it means to me knowing how close you and your dad were, how your dad influenced you and everything else.

2:59 You know, seeing those pictures of your dad by the fire trucks this week, I was just like, it just, it just brought, you know, a tear to my eye knowing how, how special that man was to you and I never met him, unfortunately, because I'm like, I'm pretty sure that me and him would have annoyed the shit out of you if we were ever together. Yeah, yeah, no, it's, um, it's been tough, obviously. My dad had been battling stage 4 T cell lymphoma since about August. It was his third bout of cancer that he's had. He had one in 99, 2011 and most recently, in late to, in about mid, early to mid December, he finished his chemo treatments and rang the bell for anybody who's ever had a family member that's gone through cancer. You know, when I'm talking about that, when they're, we're done with their chemo treatments, they, they rang the bell. About five to six days before Christmas, he landed in the hospital. He was really sick, almost died then, had, had sepsis, had some form of C-diff bacterium just because of his immune system being so bad and he was in the hospital from probably the 19th or 20th till a little after New Year's day. Then he was in a rehab facility for a couple weeks and just got home over the last couple weeks and he had just begun this treatment because my dad got a PET scan and the lymphoma was showing that the lymph nodes were,

4:39 were elevated levels and my dad went for a stem cell treatment consultation and he was not a candidate because he also had a heart issue that was going on and the heart issue was, was one that was put on pause. He was actually supposed to get surgery for that about a couple weeks before he was diagnosed with cancer again. So that was been put on hold and they, the stem cell consultant or doctor and then my dad's oncologist as well, they both reviewed his PET scan and they felt that this was, do more towards his infection that he had in December rather than the cancer returning because the prior PET scan to that in about October time for him and showed then he was nearing remission. So we believe that he, he was a pet beet cancer again, theoretically. On Thursday of last week someone to show was recorded that afternoon he went for some of this treatment that they were going to be doing for a couple of months and then they would reassess in about April to see where he was if, if their belief was true that the lymphoma had left or if it, you know, what's still there, he was doing like this maintenance drug in a way.

5:56 Came home from it Thursday, felt fine, had a normal night, then Friday morning he passed away in his sleep. We believe that he, it was a heart attack. There were no signs of any, signs of any type of pain whatsoever, but it was, it was a total shock because we felt like that there was a chance that he was going to be around in the corner, still felt like there was going to be some health issues that were going on in 2025, wanted to get through the lymphoma stuff and then get the heart but trust. And it's just all just like very, very terrible timing because as, as you all know, on the show, just recently came a father myself. My brother has a daughter who's about a year and a half and he just recently came a grandfather and those, that's who he was fighting for were those, those two kids.

6:50 And he gets, we go through the services later this week. It's a shock. It's a total shock. I said to my wife, it's probably the worst day of my life and I'm sure that there's so many people out there that can relate in some form or fashion, whether it be a parent, a close friend, what have you, you know, losses, unimaginable, the amount of grief that goes on here. So even sitting down here, I have no idea how long we're going to talk. I mean, there's, I haven't, we're not going to be obviously recapping vengeance day, giving out awards like I said, but, you know, Dr. Triano, you said it's like your worst fear, right? Personally, it's, it's, it's, it's hard because there's, there's a, there's a period of time where you realize that life is filled with chapters and there's new chapters in my book where, you know, I have a son now I'm married, but there are people in my life whether it be my uncle who passed away from cancer, my grandmother from several years ago and now my dad, it's like they're not part of it and I wish they were and it's really hard to get your head around grief and death obviously is as human beings because you want people to live forever. Yeah. Yeah, I've been blessed that, you know, I'm approaching 50, like I'm two months away from being 48, which tells you again, how long we've been doing this freaking show and both my parents are still around. I lost all of my grandparents before I was

8:22 21, except for when I have one grandmother left, everybody else was gone really early in my life. So it's always been, it's always been my dad. But, you know, there's all, like the chapters thing is such a brilliant way of laying it out because, you know, people are kind of put in your life for a reason and in the chapters maybe along with them or they may be short, but, you know, it's the time that we really spend with the people we care about is what lives on forever. You know, like I'm actually in the, in the, when those was going on, like I actually just planned a trip to North Carolina to go see my dad and take Sammy Franklin out there with me because like you said, that's who your dad was fighting for were his grandkids and that's what my dad does now. Like my dad throws a fit because my 17 year old doesn't call him as much as she used to and I'm having to explain to my dad it's like, well, dad when you were 17, were you hanging out with your grandparents all that much? It's not that you don't care. It's just that the priorities shift a little bit and then they shift again later on. Like we've all gone through that somewhat rebellious phase where, you know, our parents don't know anything and we kind of stop listening and then at some point when we mature, we realize, oh no, our parents knew quite a lot of stuff and we should have been paying more attention and then you start to see a different side of your parents when you have the kids and you know that, that man that was kind of a disciplinarian or that man that was like making

9:56 you eat your vegetables and you know being kind of a hard ass of time is now like the softest, most cuddly guy in the world when he's around your kids and you're like, hey, where was that guy when I was growing up? He wasn't around but his parents were doing that for you. So the fact that you're up here right now willing to do this show for us, the audience, everybody else and you know, like I said, you know, off air it can be kind of cathartic to get these stories out and put it out there for everybody, put it into the ethos. So in a lot of ways, this is something that Luke can listen to down the line. This is something that Luke's kids can listen to down the line is you talking about your dad and how he influenced you in something that Luke is going to see is very important to you as well. So wherever this conversation goes, I'm along for the ride with you my friend.

10:56 Appreciate it brother, I really do. What's funny is as you were talking there, I think both Dr. Tray and I, you know, were around the same age and have dads that are around the same age and we grew up in a time period where dads were still, you know, our dads grew up with parents that were in the, you know, 50s and 60s and they're coming off of, you know, being the disciplinary in the the hard ass, right? You know, dad never shed no tears. I think I can count on my hand a very small amount of time that I watch my dad cry. Yeah, say what I mean. Like for me, it's like that too. It's maybe two or three. And what's funny is as you were talking about, you know, your daughter and bringing Sam and he goes see them, see your grandfather is, you know, at some point they become grandfather and then become soft. I saw my dad get softer when both Mike and I, my brother Mike, got married and we had, you know, significant others now in the life because he didn't have any daughters. So there was a little bit of softness there. And then when the grandchildren came, I mean, it was just a whole nother ball game where it was like almost like a reboot and a restart to the, my father when we were young kids, when we were babies, when we were toddlers like that was who he became again and my dad, like loved kids and and friends of ours who had younger children or whatever, like he was always like the very funny go to guy. And, you know, that was, that was what

12:32 was really cool about him is is is he was getting ready to become a, you know, as a grandfather, like you kind of saw a refresh on a reboot and he was getting softer and seeing those layers, layers peel away. It's, it was like a really beautiful thing and that's, that's the hardest thing for me. I grew up with, I lost my dad's mom, so my grandmother obviously and then my, my mom's dad, grandfather, before I was ever born, they had passed away. So I grew up with a grandfather on one side and a grandmother on another and you know, that's, that's difficult to go through that where you never met a grandparent because grandparents rule and well, my dad has been able to meet both kids, you know, the, the likely, you know, they're not going to remember them, other than outside of pictures. They're not going to have those moments. Walt Disney World is a, is a massive part of my family and not having him be able to take his grandkids, which was a dream of his is very difficult.

13:40 You know, we're set to go there later this year and that's got to be really hard to go there. I mean, there's been times this week where I didn't necessarily want to go. I was, I wanted to cancel it, but I know that my dad didn't want to do that at all. So it's just been, it's been tough for sure, you know, to get my head around that because I know my father was fearful of that of, of dying, where he wouldn't be able to watch his grandkids grow. So, you know, it's just one of those things where the wood it could have showed us where if anybody that's listening to this podcast where if you haven't talked to a parent in a long time, if you haven't talked to a friend in a long time, sibling in a long time and they mean something to you, pick up the phone, reopen those lines of communications, rebuild those bridges that may have been burned or broken or, you know, or dusty right now in dormant because you haven't reached out in some time and and rekindle those because that's all we got at the end of the day is is family and people that are like family to us.

14:43 You know, take these situations where, you know, you doctor try, you're, you're getting ready, you're taking your son and go see your grandfather or your father to see his grandfather, you know, enjoy those moments, right? Because there's got to be people out there that obviously won't be able to do that, you know, plan something special, have some fun, go out to dinner, whatever you got to do and take as many photos as possible because that's something that where over the last couple months, my dad had lost some hair. He was, he got thin from chemo and and he didn't want many photos because in his mind it was like, you know, let's, we'll get the photos once everything comes back and, and I'm starting to, you know, feel better from post chemotherapy and and that stuff isn't happening now. So I wish I had more photos of him with my son. So take as many photos as possible, spend as much time as possible, pick up those phones, rekindle those relationships because it's, it's a very cliche to say, but yeah, you just, you just don't know when someone's time comes because this is, this is unexpected obviously. I got to ask you a question and I've been thinking about this for a very long time and I've never asked it on this show. I don't think I've ever asked you a person alive, but you brought it up. I have to know like who was the Disney person between your mom and your dad because I've known you for damn near 16 years now and you guys have made a lot of trips to Disney.

16:02 It's, it's a rarity to seize a couple like I have a good friend of mine, the Jeremiah Plunkett who wrestles for NWA wrestling. Him and his wife are die hard Disney fanatics and that is something they bonded over in their first couple of dates. Between your mom and your dad, who is the Disney person and who convinced the other person to be a Disney person? So you know what's funny? So in 1995 I was just telling the story recently. In 1995, my parents, I had been nine years old, my brothers, brother would be about four, five. I remember this vividly, but my parents brought us into our dining room and they were like, so we're going to Disney World and my brother and I had the utmost worst reaction all the time. We were like, no, we don't want to, like we thought it was for a little kid. So they took us there for a trip in February in 1995 and the weather was brutal and to get to your original point here, really neither one of them is quote Disney people. I grew up in the golden era of Disney movies of the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, toy stories of the world grew up in that era. Certainly saw those movies, but I can't recite lines and stuff like that. So it was more like that first trip, they really enjoyed it. We went a year later in 1996, went to another trip and really enjoyed it.

17:28 And that time my father saw this like Disney vacation club that's out there and he got to talk in and decided without really consulting with my mom that he was going to make this investment because it made sense to him that him and his family could go down a Walt Disney World in Lake one of us to Florida from 1996 to like 2048 and it was this really at the time like cheap and affordable price and everybody always thinks that it's like just tied to Walt Disney World and it's not. It's tied to Disneyland. There's resorts actually in like the Carolinas at Disney owns, there's a Hawaii resort that they own, but they're also tied with resorts everywhere. There's some resorts in New York and Canada. It's like a quasi partner with this hotel group chain almost in a way.

18:19 So he signed us up, my mom was not happy about it and like my parents, I want to say from like mid 2000s on my parents did not go away on vacation anywhere else. Then one time a year for about two to three weeks in April, May time frame March April, May time frame to Disney World and then in October, no, remember time frame to Disney World. They would do about six weeks of the year and they were never still I mean it's not like Mickey Mouse's in tattooed on my dad's arm. We're not sitting down watching Disney Plus as a family. My brother and I weren't like inundated with with Disney stuff. They just really enjoyed the serenity and the escapeism of Walt Disney World. If you ever anybody who's ever been to Disney World and if you're inundated with it, everybody thinks it's just like one theme park.

19:15 It's more than that. It's four theme parks in 20 plus resorts and quite honestly, what my parents would do is every day they would spend down at this one resort. They would sit at this one pool, the same street that they would go to and they would just sit outside and my dad would read a card magazine. He would make sandwiches and breakfast, eat smoke a cigar and drink a coffee and that's what they did. And maybe in the morning or night time, they would go to one of the theme parks, but it wasn't like we were go, go, go with the theme parks at all time and it's funny because everybody always will ask me like, why do you go there so much? What do you do there? You're 38 years old. What is this? And it's like it's more than this. I can't explain it to you, but it is. It's escapism. You go down there and it's for my family and us. It's like the closest outside of leaving the real world that you possibly can because you're just in this bubble and it's friendly. It's nice to great atmosphere.

20:17 You have a good time. You're excited to do things, try new foods and they keep you busy. The pricing there has gone really, really high, so much so that I guess Disney themselves now was acknowledging that for a middle class family, it's really, really expensive. But that was just their thing. I mean, we didn't go to the Jersey Shore. We didn't go on a family vacation in an upstate New York or Canada or across the country, down south, the Carolinas. That's what they did. They did six weeks out of the year. They would go to Walt Disney World. And my brother and I would go about one week out of the year. Actually, the last time I think I saw Dr. Trey or one of the last times I saw Dr. Trey in person was we were down there for Florida for Disney World and my wife now wife and I drove down and saw the Yankees race game. So Dr. Trey and we were down there. So it was like their second home, the way that they looked at it was like their second home because quite honestly as time went on and thank God my dad did it because if anybody joins these DVC or Disney vacation clubs now, they're so damn expensive that I don't know if it's as affordable as it would be now because basically after the first couple trips it paid for itself. And the money that they pay each year nobody would be able to get a hotel room for that price. So we were very, very fortunate he made that decision and he did that for his kids. He did it for the future of his kids to have kids and it's something that's a major part of our lives today. Yeah, I love that. Your dad just goes, this is a really good value.

21:50 I mean, it's just it's it's it's it's finding the value and stuff. But then I also this is something I've struggled with and I mean you've known me for a long time. I'm kind of a workaholic. I like staying busy. I've never really done vacations. My dad never, we never really did vacations. Like we would do weekend trips to like the lake or we had a family pond or something like that to kind of get away but it was never these long drawn out, you know, two three week long trips and even now when my wife would bring it up, you know, last year or the year before like she was like, you know, we we don't go on vacation. I'm like, I don't even know what that is because in in my head a lot of it was I never really appreciated the escapism of taking some time to kind of re-center yourself letting all the stress because for me the stress was always going to be there. It's like when I come back it just starts right back up. I have the same thoughts as you. So and I've known you for a long time and you've been a workaholic also. So I appreciate the fact that your dad and your mom could go, look, we're not Disney people but Florida is nice and there's a pool and we can just go down there and like get away from everything and just spend some quality time together because that's something that I've really struggled with, you know, realizing that, you know, both my my two oldest kids, my my daughter, my stepson, are both about to graduate high school and go off on their own. My daughter's graduating in

23:22 three months, uh, pay no graduate. He's 18 now, but he'll graduate next year. At that point is just me, me, the wife and Sammy is like, I, I, I want to have a feel guilty about trying to go, look, we need to do stuff as a family and spend some time together, but the two oldest kids probably won't be along with us because they're about to be adults. So there's this weird contrast of guilt and, you know, not being able to take them along for stuff, but yeah, it really is important, especially as you get older to kind of just go, we need to step away from life and just enjoy us. And that's one thing I'm trying to be very cognizant of, you know, cognizant of going forward. Your mom and dad just figured it out years and years ago. Yeah, yeah. No, my mom wasn't too happy with them originally because they were still a mortgage and had two young kids and my dad was a, a blue collar worker. He had his own business. It was an H-FAC business. I actually worked with him. At one point when he had, I had cancer, then I was with him for 12 years until I got into, uh, in radio, but it's funny to the point that you're making because I go through this every single time that before we leave for vacation, I'm like super stressed out because I got a list of things that I got to do that's long and wide. And what's always, uh, sucks is there's a list of things to do long and wide when you get home. And it has a lot to do with how connected we are nowadays where, you know, my job can text me day and night at any point. I can

24:55 get an email at day and night at any point. Um, anything that I do as a hobby could reach out to me day or night. It's, it's, it's so easy. We're so accessible more than whatever. Um, that you kind of want to go back into 1995 and, and remember those days when everybody didn't necessarily have a cell phone and everybody wasn't texting or calling and all you really had was your landline because you could completely disconnect. So I could totally relate to those feelings where it's like I have, I don't want to go on vacation because I know what it's going to be like when I come back, but I tell you what, day about two, three, four, when you're down on a vacation and you're doing it, you could feel the mind just completely escape. Obviously as it gets closer, you know, depending on the length of the vacation, you know, that, uh, shortly after that first travel day in the middle, uh, about 75% towards the end, you're, you're in a really good spot. And then that dread comes on when it's like a crap, I got to get back to this all. So, um, yeah, we had had some phenomenal moments and, um, yeah, that's kind of where the whole Walt Disney World thing stem from, which is just, uh, just wild to think. So yeah, I mean, I'm truly blessed and honored and honest, uh, or honestly, happy that my dad, you know, seven days a week, eight hours a day, worked his hands to the bone, worked in a blue collar job, built a business that was just him and I for a period of time.

26:25 Sold that business, was able to retire and joy some life for a little bit. Um, and he did that all on his back and you're not really going to see those types of workers all that much anymore because the entrepreneur of business has changed. Um, you know, if you're able to build something, it takes a really, really long time to do that, uh, whether it's blue collar or white collar. So it's, it's kind of like that last of a dine breed of some sort where I, I mean, I don't know what it's like for you, Dr. Tre, but I could tell you when I was 20 years ago when I graduated high school, uh, they were already trying to shy kids away from doing these blue collar jobs, working with your hands, being a plumber, electrician, HVAC, which is a damn shame because I could tell you what from a son of someone who did that, uh, he made a very, very good living, was able to provide for us and will still be able to take care of his family for decades and years to come because of the stuff that he did on his own two hands and on, you know, breaking his, his back to the bone almost. Yeah, so, you know, similar, like my dad was a construction, you know, I did my dad, uh, delivered sheetrock for 25 years. He'd be the guy out there the boom truck full of, you know, with all the sheetrock for a house. He'd go out there and nowadays you see a boot, you see a truck go out of all the sheetrock. There's like three or four guys on the truck, you know, no, my dad was the guy that would go out there by himself and deliver it and built a, built a life for him and his family on his back until his back literally gave out. Um, and he got a

27:59 really good settlement for work with his companies. It will retire, but my, my grandfather was in construction, uh, both my uncles are electricians, my brothers in electrician, uh, and my dad, basically told me, he's like, you're not a blue collar guy. You're not a heart, you're not the physical guy. You're a smart guy, you're a funny guy. You need to go to college and figure stuff out for yourself and figure out what role, you know, what role works for you. And then I end up in construction doing story models and renovations. That's what I was doing. We launched a show that wasn't until a few years back when my stepson looked at me and went, saw me at a wrestling show. He's like, you're a really good talker. And I was like, okay, thank you. He goes, do they pay you for this? And I went, I like, you know, 20 bucks. He's like, you should have a job where you get paid to talk. And I, and I laughed at it. And I thought about like, it's what my dad was telling me years ago. And I never, and that's how I transitioned over and doing the marketing stuff for construction companies because I'm a good talker. And obviously, we've been here to show for this long. I must be a good talker. But yeah, like, but they were, that was the whole thing. Like, oh no, you don't want to go into construction. You don't want to go into manual labor. You know, you don't see your family. You're gone all the time. You're always kind of on call for your customers when they need emergencies because you're trying to build a loyal customer base. And the, the scary thing is now, you know, that was like, you know, late 90s, 30 years later, we're begging people to go to trade school. You know, we're a guy. Seriously, you'll make more money doing trade school stuff than you will go into college. Jeff and I mean, seriously, I, how many

29:32 friends are ours? We have to have like masters degrees and they're making 30,000, 40,000 dollars a year. Like, there's just not a great market for it, but like my brother now who's started his own company up, you know, he'll probably make 400,000, 500,000 a year. He's building something for his son that if that's where he wants to go, there's a business. If not, he can sell it and retire early. I got into a field where, basically, I can do this until I drop into the ground myself because of the fact that like, I can, as long as my brain's working, I don't need my hands on my, I can talk. I can teach people how to talk. I can teach people how to do my job. So that it was kind of like the best of both worlds. I'm like, I'm combining my one talent with my family's history and kind of combining it into one. But yeah, like I tell my steps on my steps on all the time. I'm like, dude, I'm like, you're not a great talker. You don't like people.

30:22 You might need to find a job in some kind of service trade industry just so you can do the job and not really communicate with anybody and still make a good living for your families. A little bit of that like playing to your strengths and minimizing your weaknesses. That's more the lesson my dad taught me than anything else. Yeah, it's, you know, I guess we're thankful that we grew up in that different era. Then I guess some right nowadays because it did help thicken the skin a little bit and kind of teach you the work ethic. And that's been something I've been pointed out. And I just mentioned previously I started working with my dad back in 1999. I was 12 years old, which, I don't think a lot of 12 year olds are working nowadays, especially in a in a blue collar job. And it originally just started because he needed a pair of hands. He needed help carrying some stuff because my dad was weak from the chemotherapy at that time. And what started from there was from 1999 until about 2000 and 12 when I got hired in Hartford Connecticut to work at the local radio station there in sports radio, 97 to 90 SPN for those who remember those days if you're a long time listener is here of the podcast or even if you remember listening to me from the Bauer Shadeys, it was, it was where that work ethic started and he did not pay me that first summer because he felt that I needed to earn it basically. And I started at like $0 an hour and I would get paid in like

31:56 lunches and of course I loved it. And then it became like $2 an hour and $4 an hour and kept increasing. And you know it was it was cool. I enjoyed those times. I mean working with them for God, I guess it would have been 13 years. And then towards the end of it it was it was a really tough decision for me because in about May 2000, so March 2012 Bauer who who kept an obvious Dr. Tray Franklin I did the old Captain obvious name there, knows very well. And he's the gentleman that still host this podcast on there. He got hired in Hartford Connecticut 97 to 90 SPN and in about two months time he brought me along and what was the trigger of all that was the CM Punk interview of Profession Wrestling was in town in Hartford at the XL Center and he was like you got to be here for this and I think he started doing an internship in Air Quotes with me about two weeks prior.

32:55 And I would ask my dad like hey do you need me these days or I'm going to go up to Hartford. And he would give me his blessing to go up there it would be like maybe two three days a week. And this time went on it was two three days a week to almost five days a week because he knew I was chasing a dream. He allowed me to do that and I got hired in December 2012. And that was tough because I didn't want to leave my dad out there by himself because he was getting older and age and he was he was having difficulty at times like carrying things and I knew this was going to be a little bit of a burden on him. And I think it was also right around that time that he started talking about selling the business. If I remember correctly I think I may have worked with him on some weekends but he allowed me to to chase that he could have said no you know I need you five days a week I can't have you go internship do an internship there chasing a job that you may not get for no money because I wasn't getting paid at that point until December 2012 when I finally got hired as like a quote board operator still was making peanuts making less money than I would with my dad because the clear channel was extremely cheap and using us basically using me for that role just because I was chasing the dream but he allowed that to happen again I mean he could have said no but he allowed that to happen and I was happy to that then he did that because it led to some radio and he was extremely proud of me he would it was funny because my mom would tell stories that she

34:26 would come home from work and there would my dad would be on the computer listening to the Bauer show online every day in a bag of potato chips eating sandwich whatever and he would be listening the show every single day he was so proud he would never tell me he was listening the show every single day but he was listening every single day for those two years got to ESPN chase that I remember talking to him like when I was getting ready to leave and he and my mom both said like you know you you did what you tried what you wanted to do you did your dream that you want to do I always wanted to work at ESPN it didn't work out for you the money wasn't there and now you're taking these next steps and which led to my my rest of my career but yeah I mean a lot of those things where he sacrificed for us as a father as an apparent and he sacrificed as a person to allow me to chase other things and and for that I'm obviously forever grateful and as I said at the start of the show I don't think I would be a wrestling fan today if it wasn't for my dad I remember in like 91 92 93-ish he would watch wrestling and he would always mimic matcha man's rainy savage voice and from time to time he would have me sit with him and we'd watch wrestling and see Hulk Hogan and and matcha man randy savage and he would like play wrestle and all that stuff it wasn't really until 1994 that I got into wrestling and and a couple stories that like really span out to that to

35:56 tie it back to wrestling here on the wrestling podcast that we do in in the in the early 90s he he worked for Bruce Pritchard I think I mentioned here on the show so worked with Bruce Pritchard would ask me if I remembered brother love I think brother love was an on television at that point and wf as it was known at the time back in the day since I lived close to the headquarters or lived close to the headquarters of role-rest entertainment they would do these literal high school gyms doctor tray and they would do it for a benefit for a Stanford Connecticut police officer and we would go to a regular high school and watch wf stars I remember seeing yoko's universe's earthquake in like a sumo match I think Lex Luger was one of the head shrinkers being there one two three kid and it was so cool and before one of the shows he took me down to meet Bruce Pritchard you know shook his hand set a few pleasantries you know set high to my dad and and off we would go and that was really cool and my dad had some connections where somewhere and I got to find it I've been thinking about this for a long time but somewhere he got a photo of Macho Man Randy Savage signed for me where it said to Jeffrey you know best wishes which is Macho Man Randy Savage and it was because he had some friends I don't know I don't remember if it was Bruce Pritchard or someone that he knew that worked for wf but he was able to get that for me you know he would make

37:28 sure I didn't miss a single paper view you know we would watch every mid early to mid 90s paper view from like 94 to 96 97 was because of my dad watching every single paper view paying for that I'm a bro we said my dad you know they're about to go on did you pay for it he's like yes I paid for it all good and we would watch those paper views obviously illegal now but at the time well illegal then too but he would record them for me so that I could watch them I remember a Thanksgiving where we were at we went to go visit my uncle and my dad couldn't come because he was working and I called him for like the results of survivor series 1994 and having him tell me on the phone that Bob backlin won the wf championship because Owen threw in the towel and then watching it afterwards was like blew blew my mind I remember staying up and watching those early days of Monday night raw with him you know it was just it was really cool and he got me my start in professional wrestling is as time went on you know he would kind of break my chops of watching wrestling and you know you know that stuff is not real and you know I would choke around with him like got there was something recently like you know did you see that the rock came back or whatever and he's like now I didn't see that and you know or Hulk Hogan was back on and he's you know he would get a kick out of like the holster still

39:00 going out there and running through the motions but yeah um pretty sure that if it wasn't for him watching wrestling in those early 90s and he would actually talk about his old man and my grandfather grandfather taking into madness for a garden to go see Bruno Sam Martino and how important it was to sit down and watch wrestling on those Saturdays and I don't know my my great grandmother loved wrestling and he would watch it with her and he would tell those stories I think it's safe to say I want to be a wrestling fan today if it wasn't for my father um introducing me to professional wrestling so you know it's pretty cool that that happened and the amount of things that he did for me to become a wrestling fan to start out being a wrestling fan and uh yeah just forever grateful I mean when we would go to those events he would buy out the things I'd have the Bret Hart sunglasses he would buy every styrofoam plastic WF title belt for me I had all of them um the my my Reverend razor Ramone chain with a razor that's a razor Simone on it I mean he would just spoil us and um that was my dad and you know I don't know if I'd be here today again talking professional wrestling if he didn't introduce that door to me I'm I'm sure he probably thought at times that it went along a little bit too long that I was a wrestling fan but uh he still he still got that going so I appreciate my dad for doing that I'm just picturing like 11-year-old ginger Jeff Peck uh walking through the halls of his school with that razor Ramone chain dangling

40:34 from his neck thinking he's the coolest thing in the world I just it's it's it's it's it's I mean and we've talked about the show like we know my I always tell everybody like my I give my grandmother credit for getting me in a wrestling but my dad was the bridge dad dad was not a diehard wrestling fan but he I mean he'd watch it with grandma and then when he saw that I was interested he kind of helped push that a little bit like he's the one that you know like he always bring up Danny Hodge is like our sixth cousin and he would tell stories about how Danny Hodge could crush an apple with his bare hands and you know all those stories and then you know seven years old like mid-south wrestling in Tulsa was the big thing like you know Ted D. B. Ossie, Dr. Steve William, junkyard dog all those guys came through that territory and you know dad I remember it took me to my first wrestling show and got me and and nose bleed sees but I mean you know because I mean you know this from having a blue car background your dad's working eight 10 hours a day dad worked might have a good work at five o'clock in the morning he wouldn't get home till six o'clock at night and he would come home and be like get in the car and go and drive it and take me to a wrestling show and kind of the same thing like I think you know he always would kind of like you know as I got older like you're still watching that stuff you're still into like kind of giving me crap about it a little bit and even into my 20s and then we started the podcast I I joked with somebody recently I'm like I don't think my dad has ever listened to an episode of our show um up until recently you know just

42:11 been the last like year or so that I think my dad's actually listened to the show but it once I got involved in the wrestling business my dad thought it was kind of cool like he was like really you're out there and and then now that he sees like the interactions that Sammy has with the wrestling stuff and he told me he saw the video of me getting the crowd saying happy birthday to Sammy was one of the coolest things he'd ever seen it actually brought a tear to his eye and he's like that's one of the things that's gonna live with Sammy forever and in the back of my mind I'm like it's also one of those things that's gonna live with my dad for as long as he's around is he's gonna see that how much something I loved gave back to something he loves so much in Sammy so like I'm really I'm really proud of that that it's taken a long time for me to kind of make my dad a wrestling fan again not so much in the you know day to day week to week watching of the show but just how much the wrestling community can love the people that love it shit I'm gonna show you fuck yeah yeah no it's it's it's an amazing bond right I mean it starts somewhere for all of us and that's what's really cool about professional wrestling where it's a bond it starts somewhere and it's passed on to someone else and it brings people together there is no greater joy than professional wrestling for me at times it's one of the best and it's you want to talk about escapism

43:42 I mean this is another one it's the world of professional wrestling and that's something that my dad opened that door too and I'm sure didn't figure it would be as open and wide as as it was but I mean there are other things I mean we talked about Walt Disney World my dad opened that door for a period of time and he himself got away from it as well but NASCAR was a big thing that that we did is as a family traveling around to different racetracks and went to Charlotte Motor Speedway with him went to New Hampshire Motor Speedway with him so I mean those were moments that I'll always remember one thing that I'll all kind of lead with it and another story that just came to mind as we're talking about my dad and professional wrestling like how wf was back in the day and I think I've said the story on here as well so forgive me for those who've heard it but wf back in the day would have like these warehouse events where it was people could come to the warehouse and and they can buy merchandise or stuff that was off the rack and recently my dad showed me a flyer for it which was wild it was like something in the newspapers like a little small newspaper clipping like WWE wf is having a warehouse sale come on down and I think wrestlers were going to be there and my dad always claims like Hulk Hogan was going to be there but he showed me the flyer and said it was going to be there Hogan was going to be there whatever but I refused to get out of the car because of donk the clown being there I was afraid of seeing donk the clown and he always said told that story where yeah you were going to meet Hogan we were going to do this warehouse thing but you went

45:13 to get out of the car you were afraid and scared because donk the clown was in there which is kind of speaks to a generation where it was pretty cool at one point it was still real to me dammit and I was so fearful this was you know the evil donk the clown error I did not want to get out of the car because of donk the clown being there so the story that he always would tell from time to time you know I think this has been a very therapeutic and cathartic edition of the podcast there's a lot to be said and maybe in the weeks and months and days that follow here on the podcast from time to time will bring up some more stories but in a weird way I'm sorry to everybody that we're not sitting here right now and celebrating 15 years of the still real to show and giving you that award show and recapping review and NXT Vengeance Day and anything else that's going on WrestleMania 41 roundup and I truly hope that we're going to be able to get to that the only wrestling show that I finished so far of watching was smacked down from last Friday the day that my dad passed away and I literally just did that today as Dr. Trayn I recorded this on Wednesday afternoon everything else is just so backed up in the queue of things that I got to get caught up on and watch I don't quite frankly know if I'll be able to to be fully back and recapped everything that's going on on next week's edition show and I'm sure you know Dr. Trayn is understanding to that and I'm sure all of you listening to the podcast are very understanding to that as well and I thank you for that

46:46 it was the toughest day of my life it's it's one of the toughest times I've ever gone through and sitting down here for well over 45 minutes talking with Dr. Trayn talking about my dad talking about listening about his dad and sharing stories about our dad is is it's been fantastic it's been extremely helpful and I thank everybody who's downloaded the show I thank Dr. Trayn for giving me this opportunity to say yeah let's wipe the show clean we're going to go do something that we've never done in in 784 episodes and then just talk about us there are some wrestling tie in still but this is just basically Jeff Pack and Dr. Trayn Franklin talking shooting the shit you're part of the phone call and it's it's it's uh it's been fun I uh I wish I didn't have to do it certainly given the circumstances but again I thank everybody for downloading I thank everybody for their support it's it's been immense to me and my family and it has meant a lot to me so I guess before we formally close up shop on this week's edition of the show Dr. Trayn anything anything else you want to say here before we we bid bid adieu for this week's edition of podcast we have we've been together longer than most married couples I make that joke with you all the time like we've been together now 15 years of doing the show probably 16 years of our friendship I don't say this enough I love you man you love you too man you are near near to my heart

48:20 we may not have given the audience 15 years of best RTU we gave them 38 years of memories about fun time Johnny that that is more important to me uh then the show this week so I love you my brother my thoughts and prayers and everything's with you um and this whole community cares about you so if you need anything all you have to do is reach out to any of us and we always have your back my friend I appreciate that man um I appreciate all of you for downloading and supporting this podcast for 15 years I down I appreciate all of you guys for downloading this week's edition of the show probably very curious as to why we're doing this um with the title of the episode and um again I cannot thank you enough I will I will love and miss my dad forever um and I thank him for everything so until next week four Dodge Tray Franklin I am Jeff Peck thank you for downloading thank you for being there on this week's edition of the StoRill does show