Maverine on Wally Hilgenberg

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I first met Wally since I was 10 years old, and he became my next door neighbor when I was 18, same as Paul Krause, who was his Iowa college and Vikings teammate.

It was February 26, 2001, 8 days after Dale Earnhardt died, Lonnie Warwick came at my house, turning 59 years old, Wally, Roy Winston (I'll tell about him later) and I were eating a cake, headed to the lake with my 1999 Chevy, and I took a picture for three of them with a fish.

Five years later, he was diagnosed with ALS and died four days after his 66th birthday in 2008. I eulogies for Wally, and Paul looks very sad after the funeral. The last time I saw Wally was four days before he died, when his grandson Luke played football, gave Wally a heartwarming birthday hug, and I was so sweet of him.

[Me (in center) with Wally (l) and Paul Krause (r) in 1976]

[Me (l) with Mary (Wally's wife, 2nd left), Wally (1st right) and a friend Darrin Maurer (2nd right) in 2008, four days before he died]

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