Joe Hancock, a co-worker of mine, passed away suddenly this week. He was 41 years old. I had plenty of interactions with him at work over the years. He had a wry sense of humor. He was kind. He was eager to learn and to teach on the job. He was an excellent teammate at the office, but that’s not what this blog is about. This blog is about the time, a few years ago, when he came up to our property in Amelia County to shoot. I’ll never forget him pulling up, parking, and opening the back of his truck to reveal an overwhelming arsenal of guns and ammunition. Joe was an incredibly peaceful guy, and also quite the gun enthusiast. My family is relatively inexperienced with weapons. We’ve shot small guns and rifles a few times, but nothing like what he had. I could tell he was proud of his collection, and eager to show us the ropes.
Joe loaded up his wagon with targets, ammo, headgear, and a few guns. He called it his “War Wagon.” 🙂 He grabbed a satchel and a backpack, I grabbed the handle of the War Wagon, and we walked around to the clearing. We set up targets, while discussing what guns to shoot. My kids were pretty intimidated, so he picked out something that he said would be easy and fun. Lianne specifically remembers that he brought a sheet to lay on the ground and collect the shells rather than leaving them all over the ground. That was considerate of him, but now I wonder if he just wanted the shells so he could reuse them to make more ammo. 🙂 Either way, we appreciated it. My kids were shooting first, so he got them geared up and then gave us an extensive gun safety course. Joe was a great teacher. He explained everything step by step, gently and clearly. I think he truly enjoyed sharing his knowledge.
Once he was satisfied that we understood the weapon and how to be safe, we lined up to shoot. Jaron went first, and as you can see here I stood behind him to help him aim. 🙂
When Davin had his turn, his little left arm was barely strong enough to lift the barrel. Joe helped him set his elbow against his stomach for extra support. He was once again a patient and effective instructor. I really like this picture. You can see how pleased Joe is, looking down with pride at his young protege.
Ava wasn’t sure she wanted to shoot at all, but Joe assured her it would be fun. We finally coaxed her into giving it a whirl.
Joe and I shot a few other rifles and handguns, I don’t remember all of them. I do remember the 12 gauge Remington 870 with the tactical pistol grip. That thing had some kick, and after a few rounds my shoulder was done. That’s what convinced me to buy a 20 gauge for myself to start with. After shooting, we walked down to check the targets. I think we hit it a few times. I’m sure Joe was encouraging, regardless of how well we actually did.
That was a fun day. We’ll never forget it. We’ll never forget Joe. I haven’t seen him much over the last couple of years.
Even so, I miss him.
I hurt for his family and close friends. His parting leaves a gap that only he could fill.
This journey is over for Joe, but in my mind I like to imagine him walking onward to the next adventure … with his War Wagon in tow.
