In Memory of Louie John Berrodin
Jr.
1941-2000
Louis John Berrodin Jr. "Big Lou" to those who loved him was
many things. Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Uncle, Friend. He loved
to fish. He loved music. He loved cars. He loved being behind a camera, taking
photographs and shooting home video of his family and friends. He was one
of those larger-than-life characters whose eccentricities made him more
loveable.
His life's work was selling fun. He was the burly, bearded owner and host of a fun house called the Bucket Shop, a Highland Square landmark he inherited from his mother and father Louis and Kathryn Berrodin. He took over the bar in the summer of 1962, just after he turned 21. Over the years, he did the impossible-he made everyone feel welcome. He was a barkeep for the working man and a dance deejay for the college crowd. He befriended doctors, lawyers, nurses, police officers, shopkeepers, and factory workers. He made the tiny Bucket Shop seem like a bigger place-a neighborhood gathering spot that held the promise of friendship and adventure. It wouldn't have been the same without him sitting there on his stool behind the bar or near the basement door, in his Hawaiian shirt and sweat pants, smiling, laughing, and orchestrating the camradery and fun.
His family will remember him for his kindness, generosity, sense of humor and fun-loving sprit. With his wife, Anne Steinmetz Berrodin, whom he married on Jan. 14, 1967, he made a life and raised a family of four children - Brigid, Louis III, Sean and Shannon. Their love enriched his life and, in the end, helped sustain him during his long illness.
He was loved by many others, too-his sister Carolyn Norman and her husband, Victor of Manchester; Stephen and Betty Steinmetz of Kent; Joseph Steinmetz of Cuyahoga Falls; Edward Steinmetz of Ellet; Mary Kay Steinmetz of Fairlawn; Mary Alice Dentici of Cuyahoga Falls; Joni Smith of Colorado; Ellen McElwain of Cuyahoga Falls; Lynn and David DeLapa of Tallmadge; Sean's wife, Camille Berrodin of Fairlawn; Louis III's girlfriend, Jill Lionetti of Akron; Brigid's boyfriend Jared Hoffman of Akron; plus many nieces, nephews and Louie's special friends: Tim LaRose, Dave Nelson, John Messmore, Bruce Miller, Artie Romito, Jeff Bognar, Mark Carson, Bill Beseth, Marco Moretuzzo, Jimmy Thommason, Jim Neil, Pete Carlson, Beverly Rose and his countless friends from the Bucket shop
We may have lost you, but we will
never lose the memory of you. The movies you made, with your big booming
voice in the background. The summer trips to concerts at Blossom Music
Center. The parties you threw at your house in Bath. The
unmistakable way you said good-bye. Most of all, we'll remember that you
loved life and that your heart was as big as the burly, bearded giant who
carried it.
