Rest in Peace That Guy With The Birds
I love attending pet shows and events, and I often run out of time to write about everything that I’ve seen and experienced in the most timely manner. So it was with shock and sadness that when I finally sat down to write about John Lege, aka That Guy With The Birds whom I met at the New Jersey Family Pet Show, I discovered he had passed. This writing is about my memory of him.
When I met John at his display, he was gracious and kind, and was delighted to let me take a brief interview for my blog.
“I had birds all my life,” John said. “I trained my birds and would even take them to preschools and senior homes just to talk about them.”
John explained he had been employed by Sterling Industries that had been headquartered at the World Trade Center. The company lost 16 people in the 9/11 disaster, and within 5 months the business closed. John was Regional Manager based out of Pittsburgh, and wondered what he would do next.
“So many people encouraged me to go into business with my birds,” continued John. “Now it’s a full time business, and I couldn’t be more happy.”
I am so glad I had the opportunity to meet John and experience just a small part of his happiness. Since I’m also from the Pittsburgh area, I found that in common with him, and of course, I had hopes of seeing him again – not reading about his passing due to cancer.
His good friend made an announcement on John’s website home page, and he also set up a Go Fund Me page to help defray the medical costs. It is with sadness that I share this news, but also with gratitude that I did meet him in person and have some first-hand memories of That Guy With The Birds.
So friends, please make the most of each day with your pets and dreams – in memory of John Lege, That Guy With The Birds.
Susan, Taurus and Gemini
Recommended Reading:
An Important Message for January Adopt a Rescued Bird Month
I Found Love at the Super Pet Expo