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Memories

Recalling a life well-lived, loved

Alan Ammesmaki, or Goofus, plays his signature polkacello Betty during the Ishpeming Fourth of July Parade in 2017. Dozens of friends poured into Smarty’s Saloon in Negaunee Thursday for an impromptu memorial service for Ammesmaki, who died on Tuesday. (Journal photo by Justin Marietti)

NEGAUNEE — Friends of Alan Ammesmaki, known for years as Goofus, struggled to find one word to describe the man, yet no word seemed to get reused at an impromptu memorial at Smarty’s Saloon on Thursday.

Any effort to describe him would have to be one of a kind, just like the man himself.

Goofus was enthusiastic, joyful, positive, classy, boisterous, beyond-the-pale, genuine and beautifully unique — a dedicated son to his 100-year-old mother, a dedicated fan to a variety of sports teams across Michigan, most notably the Negaunee Miners, and a dedicated friend who would give you the shirt off of his back.

He could have been a math teacher, his friends say; he got a math degree from Michigan State University but he chose to return to his roots and work in the mines.

Marquette County suffered an irreplaceable loss because the man known for his booming voice and tunes on his signature polkacello left a palipable silence with his death on Tuesday.

Condolences have poured in from as far away as California to as close as the taverns on Iron Street.

Goofus was a staple at sporting events, at MSU and Northern Michigan University, but it was the Negaunee Miners that had a special place in his heart.

“Most people who have lived in the central Upper Peninsula have a Goofus story or 12, from 50 years ago or from last week,” said Negaunee resident and Mining Journal Reporter Renee Prusi in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Prusi describes a soft-spoken man who, during a newspaper interview in the 1980s, recounted his time as a Michigan State University cheerleader, talked about his devotion to his family, his time working in the mines and his love of music.

After the interview was over, Prusi said she asked if she could get some pictures of Goofus playing his beloved polkacello.

“Suddenly, the sound of the music and the enthusiasm with which he sang the Negaunee Miners Fight song drew people out of the doors of other establishments on that block of Iron,” Prusi said. “It was like someone had shot off some fireworks as the perfect husky vocal rendition of the NHS anthem, with a few bells, whistles and honks was presented by alumnus Goofus.”

Gregg Nelson, who coached at the NHS for 34 years, said he felt privileged to know that Goofus was cheering for the team in the stands no matter what.

“The people of Negaunee and especially the athletic teams will definitely miss him and his enthusiasm during Pioneer Days and the Alumni Tournament. He’s going to be missed — he was one of the established people in these events. And he showed up with regularity,” Nelson said. “He was the loud booming voice we could hear across the stadium. He was a great follower and a great supporter, and not just to Negaunee. He was a Spartan fan, a cheerleader.”

In fact, lifelong friend Dave Pond will tell you with pride that Ammesmaki is the only Michigan State Spartan Cheerleader to ever get an award named after him. The Goofus award is given out annually a player on the Spartans hockey team that is considered the “humorist.”

“It was second to none, just with his positive enthusiasm, on how to cheer for your team,” Pond said. “Everything was positive, there was no negativity in this man. everything he did was positive.”

Pond, who broke out his kazoo and played a rendition of “Roll Out the Barrel” in his friend’s honor, spoke of countless stories that Goofus would tell on their road trips to sporting events, but one of the thing that stuck was his philosophy on life.

“He always said, there are three things in life. Two of them we know for facts, but what we do in between is what counts,” Pond said. “He said, make the best of what you’ve got and don’t hold any grudges.”

Lori Hayes, another lifelong friend, said Goofus attended 51 Rolling Stones concerts — he was a superfan that was known to the band.

“He played on the tour bus for the Stones, and he was the toast of the town backstage,” Hayes said. “Johnny Starbuck (a veteran Rolling Stones roadie) said he was one of the most unique people out there.”

Scott Soeltner, owner of Smarty’s Saloon, said the community is definitely going to miss Ammesmaki.

“He was a great spirit, he had a way of bringing the fun out of people,” Soeltner said. “And the thing about Goofus is that he never really had a favorite place, he liked all of them. It was nice to see him come through the door — he had that glow, he had that smile. It just made him who he was, larger than life.”

That larger than life personality had quite a lasting effect on the city of Negaunee, Hayes said.

“It’s a great loss for this community, a great loss for his family. it’s just like we’ve had this beautiful guy for all this time doing all these things for people. It’s like we have taken it for granted,” Hayes said. “If any door blows open in this town and nothing comes in, that’s Goofus — he is part of our lives.”

A memorial will be held for Ammesmaki on April 14 in Negaunee, but the venue and time have yet to be determined, Pond said.

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