Hillside man opens up about life's struggles
By JARED JACOBSON
DCN Reporter
The early afternoon sun beams down upon the heavily residential Central Hillside neighborhood. Gary Root sits on his doorstep, hunched to one side, as if waiting for someone to sit next to him.
“Name is Gerald, but people call me Gary,� he says.
Gary used to be an able-bodied, blue-collared working man whose skills took him through a plethora of different jobs, ranging from a being a farmer to logger. His travels have also taken him from his hometown of Port Wing, Wis., to Cokato, Minn.
Having suffered two strokes in two years, the 67 year old has slurred speech and a bad back, preventing him from being able to work. Because of these problems, Gary has to rely on the government to pay his bill and support him.
“I just take my bills down to the building they tell me to,� he says.
On this day, Gary’s task was a trip to the store for razor blades, which is how he spends most of his days, running small errands. As he walks around town completing his errands he watches the people he passes, completing his tasks as he goes.
By now, Gary is standing and watching the kids gleefully play down the block. His apparel calls to mind thoughts of an older time, with pants hiked up to the mid-stomach and a flannel button-up shirt.
Gary’s attitude reflects his image of a time gone by, a carefree life.
“Got heart problems, but the insurance won’t pay for it,� he says with such a nonchalance that it might be alarming if it weren’t so genuine.
So until life takes Gary somewhere new, Gary will still be his doorstep or walking through town.