ChicagoStarBaby

My Michelle Kinney

My Dearest Friend Rest In Peace December 2022

Our story is special. You saved my life, as I was more than thankful that we became best friends throughout our years. Your caring love and natural instincts have had a positive impact, a benefit for many people in your life who had the luck and pleasure of your company. I know I did. My heart yearns to tell the world as I have always told you, that I loved you, that we were in a better place when you were here with us, the world lost a genuine dedicated soul. 

I gathered up as many of your pictures as I could find, although to my amazement, I am not in one of them with you, because it was usually me behind the camera, I’m not done searching. I have yet to find our movies from down on Mary’s Crest Farm, where we spent so many holidays, in years gone by but not forgotten.

When you meet that unique somebody in your life it's a significant memory that you have and to hold as long as you wish, some benefit some won’t. Those that don’t won’t matter, but our friendship mattered right from our unfortunate beginnings.  Rest in Peace My Michelle! 

You My Michelle, are forever entrenched in stone in my memory. My Chapter Web of Outcasts named you personally as my hero, because you saved my life that fateful day.  I always thanked you from the bottom of my heart! Rest In Peace My Michelle! See Chapter Evidence Photos at: www.myslagvalleysecrets.pro  &  www.youtube.com/sharonmaryivanovmcphee65

My Joe Sallas

My Dearest Friend Rest In Peace July 2023

Our lives intertwined ever since I could remember, Joe Sallas was there! I was able to interview Joe last year, posted on my YouTube Channel, that covered taboo subjects, tragedies we faced in elicit detailed video conversations on that day with his daughter Cynthia Sallas Davis. This saddened me greatly, writing, presenting in Honor of Joe Sallas, discussing our friendship ties, and those days that will never be forgotten in my Books. See Chapter Evidence Photos at: myslagvalleysecrets.pro  And See my YouTube Channel for Ceremonies Honoring the Life of Joe Sallas, Mass, Funeral, Veteran’s Last Salutes, Deliverance of the Veteran’s American Flag to Daughter Cynthia Sallas Davis, at Cemetery. Event following was the last wishes of Joe for entertainment by the infamous, “Tina Turner!” The Crowd of attendees was gifted a final farewell all caught on camera, an assortment of delicious food, all you can drink open bar, celebrating hours of music, everlasting conversations, honoring of the Life and Times Of Joe Sallas! 

I loved you Dearly Joe, Forever Airborne!! Rest In Peace My Joe! Chapter Evidence Photos at:

www.myslagvalleysecrets.pro  &   www.youtube.com/sharonmaryivanovmcphee65

The following is My Dedication Memorial Speech at the Ceremony Honoring Joe Sallas.

MR. JOSEPH SALLAS OBITUARY

Joe Sallas was a lifetime friend to a lot of people. Our family knew Joe all our lives, he knew my Mother Mary, hung around her restaurant !00th Torrence Avenue, Mary’s Coffee Shop and Uncle Victor's “Towbar” 24 Hour Towing & Cab business. I just met Cindy today but about a year ago I called her to ask her permission to discuss an interview with her father and her for my book My Slag Valley Secrets. So Cindy set up our ZOOM interview. I posted it online to my YOUTUBE channel for my book, his Chapter “Slag Valley Justice''. I wanted to know about Joe's life, because it intertwined with mine on so many levels. Joe Sallas was the first Mexican Ironworker in Chicago’s Local #1. He began busting rods for $2.25 an hour working at the grain elevator on 130th Torrence and many landmarks in Chicago we are all familiar with. Working for Skyway American Bridge, on our Chicago Tollway Bridge, Joe tied those rods, refined his knowledge of what it took to become the best skilled worker with his bare hands up the ladder Joe went to become Chicago’s CIty Inspector. He was on vacation in Acapulco, when the City Commissioner called him and said there was an emergency he had to return immediately. A high-rise on Belmont Avenue was investigated and it was found that there was a carbon monoxide leak in a woman's apartment and Joe was called in to investigate personally as no one would do this job. Joe designed what protective outfit was needed, specific tools and his own hoist, was the only inspector who understood how to temporarily reroute the smoke to an adjacent building, before they lowered him into the stacks to find the carbon monoxide leaks. Joe found those leaks and taught the City it was urgent and now mandatory too. Joe inspected our fire escape railings, whereas the rivets rusted, a dangerous condition for everyone in emergencies. He realized those rivets were the cause of leakage and rust and potential death traps. Joe did that. From that point on, welders were notified every rivet in the City had to be inspected, & Joe got those contracts. Safety was always his first concern for his crews. He explained how American Bridge supplied the men with their work attire, hard hats, gloves, tool belts, crescent wrench, bull pins, and informed me “NO STEEL TOE BOOTS”, only wedge heel bottom boots to walk that iron. I never realized that, Joe told me. Nowadays he said they don’t walk iron like they used to, now they have lifts. Joe rallied with the Unions for his workers, got out there on those picket lines to strike for better pay, health insurance, conditions on the job and enough money to take care of your wife in childbirth, which was a benefit they fought for in the 1960s. Joe fought for pay raises up to $15.00 which was a great bargain back in their heyday that brought up those benefits with good healthcare like it was $50.00 an hour. Joe supervised the crews at the Richard J. Daley Center, & our Prudential Building. Reasoned that safety was demanded on his jobs and he fought front and center to set standards for our Unions. Joe did that for us. 

Then we got seriously into his story about my two Uncles. Walter F. Ivanov and Victor P. Novakovich Joe understood I was seeking the truth about their disastrous accidents. Joe was there, Uncle Sonny was walking on the ground on the job site of the Robert Taylor Homes Building Projects, when a crane operator lost control of the 4ft billet, chained many stories above, and was dropped on the back of my Uncle Sonny’s head, helmet crushed into his neck and spine. The Union Sued for 10.5 million, he died after five years suffering endless surgeries to save his life. My Great Uncle Victor tow truck driver for the City, was called on an emergency during Chicago Race Riots, whereas a derelict vehicle was blocking the roadway, Uncle Victor was ordered to hook it up when a passerby ran up and Joe said he flipped cigarette into the trunk where hidden Molotov cocktails exploded all over Uncle Victor’s entire body that went up in flames. Joe immediately rushed to get him flown by helicopter to Cook County Burn Unit, the best in Chicago he suffered skin grafting the next five years.  When my cousin, Uncle Sonny's Daughter Judy became distraught when her father died, she ran away to Colorado Springs. Joe listened to how I was flown from Lansing Airport to COS to find Judy, with a seasoned pilot in a two seater airplane. Joe laughed because I told him it was scary as hell. CIndy laughed as he yelled airborne!  Then Joe let loose his stories and we all remember Veteran Joe Sallas. Our country’s hero above and beyond the call of duty all his life. I mentioned I just got my Uncle Victor’s medals from his service, and asked Joe about his medals, when he went on to tell the stories of a few of his missions. World War II Special Forces, stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, then he was going to be sent to VietNam but orders came through that all men who spoke Spanish were being sent back to Fort Bragg into the Invasion of the Bay of Pigs in Cuba to fight Castro. They were sent to Homestead Florida, and shipped out. Spearmint Chewing Gum and Zenith Radio were going to pay $50,000 for the troops to knock out the roadways in Cuba so the planes from Columbia couldn't land & they would have to fly the Jets back to the boats where they came from so they blew out their roadways, it was a success. Kennedy refused and said no payment, the Green Berets were so angry they threw their berets in a pile and set them on fire! Then Joe was offered $20,000 to travel into Mexico by his Captain to recover a Russian Parachute. Joe did the impossible, got it and had one request, that he could jump! Airborne said it was the best jump, describing the Russians use 58 panels, the most we have are 24 and now 7. But it was so powerful, he planned to aim for a Golf course to land into a swimming pool but was dragged halfway through the course and was caught up. The commotion caused the sprinklers to turn on, almost losing control, and landed halfway in the swimming pool! Joe's life was filled with diving off airplanes; it was his passion he passed onto his daughter. Full of adventure and daring episodes Joe’s experience surpassed what every military man had to know. Your life depended on it every minute, Joe described his training on the most secret state of the art military equipment. Nighttime goggles, helmets, interactive high tech communication devices, grenades! Finally he was advised the Mexican Army was looking for a drug cartel. Our top secret discussions went on as he described the horrors they faced, the reality of having seen the Cartels had rifles with silencers and best  scopes so focused you can see past two football fields. The cartels were murdering people, and the cops were losing the battles. Joe's commander, John Pierce, called Joe to set the coordinates of where they were supposed to land on this mission, said it was like a big corn field, but underground were tunnels where he found their stash. Rifles, scopes, cases of grenades, red burning grenades, strike grenades, ammunition. Joe seized all that across the border to Laredo. Upon his return they were so relieved, he said they gave him a special letter to put on his vehicle so everywhere he went they gave them free food, gas or was welcomed to stay at hotels because Joe was honored with what he said was a “general issue”. His missions were a success. Joe was a success. 

Our Veterans…, They fought together as brothers in arms, they died together and now they sleep side by side. to them we have a solemn obligation. The only reason why people hold onto Memories is because Memories are the only things that don't change when everything else does. Speak their name - someone I love has gone away Mr. Joseph Sallas…,and Life is not the same. The greatest gift that you can give is just to speak their name. I need to hear their stories and the tales of days gone past. I need for you to understand these memories must last. We can't make more memories since Joe's no longer here with us, but when you and I speak his name it's the greatest memory to our ears to our hearts! Airborne Joe!

Love you Joe. Love you Cindy. Sharon Mary Ivanov McPhee