Zeke, in happier times, at one of my Dad’s shows, with my Dad and Uncle.

On Monday, the news broke around town that Palmer Township Supervisor, owner of Easton Beverage, and longtime youth football coach in Palmer, Charles “Zeke” Bellis had been found dead. While I knew Zeke was having some health issues, it was a shock. I’ve known Zeke back to when I was in second grand and out playing football in the township. I knew the guy so long to be on both sides of it with him at different times. I’ll tell you what though, that was one helluva guy. Here’s what I wrote about his death on Facebook a couple of days ago:

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the passing of Zeke today. When public officials and political operatives I know die, I go back and read throughgh our texts, looking to see what I missed in real time about them. In this case I missed nothing. Zeke was who I thought, and maybe I didn’t appreciate that enough. I knew Zeke as the good guy and the bad guy at different points. He was always just him though. He was devoted to Palmer Township, and Easton in general. After all these years on this Earth, I appreciate the shit out of that. Someone who was exactly who he said he was, for whatever you thought of it. I enjoyed our conversations later on in life at the beer distributor, about football and local politics. Palmer should have been so lucky to have guys like that. I send my best to his mother. And my town.

I think I basically got across what I wanted to there. Zeke was a genuine article. I’ll go a half step further though. The one thing I don’t think I emphasized enough was that this guy really, really loved where he was from. He was proud to have grown up in Palmer, he was proud to have been an Easton Red Rover, and he was God damned proud as hell when his township placed their confidence in him by finally electing him. “The beer man cometh.” By God, he did.

I know a lot of politicians. They’ll put on a suit and tie for you. They’ll tell you stuff you want to hear. Increasingly, they’ll try to be what Zeke actually was- authentic, blue collar. There’s good and bad with that, but at least it’s honest. I’ll miss going down and talking to him when I buy beer.

Anyway, I felt like it was important to say a little more here. This guy was a true public servant, in the sense that he wanted to make things better for people. That’s rare these days. It wasn’t some ideological fever dream that made him coach football, or serve on the recreation board, or even serve as Supervisor. He just wanted to try his hand at doing good. He’s gone, but I’m proud of him, in the final analysis.

View his obituary here. Viewing services are 4-7pm, fittingly on a game day Friday in Easton. RIP.