Get to Know Your Neighbor – Mr. B from Visitacion Valley

Mr. B
By Emily Moore

Mr. B was born in Oklahoma in 1929. He remembers his childhood as pleasant, spent with his two brothers. His parents were farmers. One of his favorite memories from his youth was playing basketball in high school and participating in various school activities. His family was very Christian, and he was raised with church as a big part of his life. That influence is still with him today.

Mr. B has a passion for travel and meeting new people.  This curiosity was one of the things that lead him to move to San Francisco in 1969. He also lived in Michigan for about a year and a half. He says that he always had a desire to see more.

When I ask him if he has any children, he laughs and says he has eight or nine. He has too many grandchildren and great-grandchildren to count, he says at least twelve. All except two of his children live here. He says he gets to see his children pretty often. He lives by himself now – his wife died a few years ago – and is helped sometimes by a woman who takes care of the house.

He says that San Francisco has changed somewhat since he has been here, especially in terms of the buildings, highways, and cost of living. He has lived in the same neighborhood for about forty years, and says it has stayed generally the same since he first moved here. He especially likes how friendly everyone is.

Mr. B worked in a new car dealership as a mechanic for most of his life, and is now retired. In terms of a dream job, he says he would have liked to do a lot of things, including working in the White House. For fun, he goes to the movies, goes on outings and vacations, and participates in church activities. He also enjoys bowling with friends about every other week. Singing is one of his passions, especially spiritual music.

He dreams today of traveling around the world, meeting new people and learning about their cultures and activities. He would love to go to the Holy Land, but is somewhat wary of the situation there today. He hopes one day to be able to go on a cruise to somewhere he has never been before. Unfortunately, however, Mr. B began losing his sight about ten or fifteen years ago, and is now legally blind. This makes it hard for him to do many things he would like to do, especially travel.

When I ask Mr. B what the proudest moment in his life was, he says that he is proudest just of being alive. It is clear to me that even while Mr. B answers most of my questions succinctly (something his caretaker says is his shyness), he has a real love of life. His advice to future generations is to live the best life you can. He worries that some young people today don’t have any self-motivation and that they don’t have the same morals as when he was growing up.  When asked if he thinks there is anything else anyone should know about him, he answers just that he loves everyone and hopes to be treated with the same respect that he gives others.

Mr. B says that he is very thankful for Rebuilding Together because without them there would be many things he couldn’t do.