If I told you that Martin Matchey died, you might say you were sorry to hear that, but you didn't think you knew him.
If I told you "Marty The Meat Man" died, you would probably say, "Oh, no! Not Marty. He was everybody's favorite."
And then you would probably bow your head in sadness, get a big lump in your throat, maybe shed a tear and say, "God rest his soul."
Everybody knew "Marty The Meat Man" at Festival Foods in Onalaska. He was often waving to the crowd while riding in the Festival's big grocery cart in local parades. He was a mainstay behind the meat counter at the Onalaska Festival store. Marty was indeed "the face" of Festival Foods in Onalaska.
Marty (pictured) died from pancreatic cancer last Friday. I knew of his illness because Festival founder and close friend Dave Skogen emailed me in early July to tell me Marty was retiring after learning he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Dave, knowing I have been battling pancreatic cancer since May 8, 2015, asked if I would phone Marty and chat with him.
I called Marty at his home in Blair a day or so later. Marty was in good spirits, but very evasive about the treatment protocol. I attempted to comfort him the best I could.
During our conversation, Marty asked if my wife, Kathy, and I wanted to attend his retirement party at Dash Park in Onalaska. I told Marty that Dave had already invited us when he emailed me. I assured Marty we would be there.
"I don't know why Dave is doing this for me," Marty said. "He's putting up a tent, serving some food and everything I guess. He's going all out which is very nice, but I don't know why he is going to all this trouble for an old butcher like me."
I'll always remember Monday, July 23, 2018. I had my regular labs and CT scan earlier that day. Then as promised, Kathy and I attended Marty's retirement party.
It was a warm, sunny day with several people in attendance that we didn't know, although we knew all the butchers from the meat department in Onalaska as well as the store directors from other Festival stores.
Dave spoke. So did Gary Skogen, Dave's brother. Onalaska Festival store director Keith Buswell also spoke. All three shared one story after another about "the face" of the Onalaska store.
Marty and his wife, Joan, sat front and center before the speakers. Marty smiled from ear to ear, shaking his head in disbelief from the humorous stories Dave, Gary and Keith told.
"Marty started with us in 1990, the year we opened our first Festival," Dave said early Tuesday. "Marty boomeranged more guests back to Festival than perhaps anyone, including myself.
"Marty enjoyed serving and enriching lives of others," Dave added. "He taught the guest what to buy and how to cook it - a skill set that few meat associates have."
Yet, Marty's greatest skill was bringing smiles to Festival's customers whom he served with joy and laughter for 28 years.
Rest In Peace, Marty the Meat Man. Hopefully, we will meet up with you again some day.

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I definitely hand it to the Milwaukee Brewers.
They swept my beloved St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, clinched a postseason berth and are now poised to win the one- game, wild-card game against who knows.
Congrats Brewers. You deserve it.
However, hold on folks. The Brewers want more champagne parties.
It's been a rainbow season. The entire Brewers organization, including general manager David Stearns and manager Craig Counsell, have been instrumental in turning the franchise into a "WOW SEASON."
As players, coaches and front office personnel have echoed, there is still work to be done.
Jeremy Jeffress, one of the bullpen stars the entire season, said this: "We're not stopping. The season's not over yet. We're going to go home and play like we're going to win the division."
Lose and done is not in the Brewers vocabulary. They have greater things in mind. No wild-card playoff. They are hungry for the NL Central pennant, although a lot of dominoes must fall in their favor.
The league-leading Cubs are one-half game ahead of the Brewers for first place. But who knows, with more great play, the Brew Crew could be NL Central champions by Sunday night.
Here is the Cubs and Brewers status going into tonight's game.

CUBS (92-66, .582)
* Status: Clinched postseason berth. Lead MIL by a half-game in NL Central; lead ATL by 3 games for No. 1 seed in NL.
* Magic numbers: 4 (to clinch NL Central).
* Key tiebreaker: In the event of a tiebreaker game for the division title, the Cubs would have home-field advantage over the Brewers, by virtue of their 11-8 record vs. Milwaukee in the season series. In the event of a tie for the best record in the NL, the higher seed would be determined by intradivision record, since the Cubs and Braves each won three games apiece in the season series. Atlanta (48-24) would be awarded the higher seed over Chicago (38-34).
* Today's schedule: vs. PIT (7:05 p.m. CT).
* Key series remaining: Friday-Sunday vs. STL.

BREWERS (92-67, .579)
* Status: Clinched postseason berth. Trail Cubs by a half-game in NL Central.
* Elimination number: 4 (for NL Central).
* Key tiebreaker: If the Brewers finish the regular season tied with the Cubs for first place in the NL Central, the Cubs would host a tiebreaker game at Wrigley Field on Monday to determine the division champion, by virtue of Chicago's 11-8 season series record against Milwaukee.

The Brewers play host to the Detroit Tigers in a final three-game series beginning Friday.
An interesting weekend? That's putting it mildly.

Just imagine. One month ago the Milwaukee Brewers were in third place in the National League Central Division and five games behind those dreaded Chicago Cubs.
Fast forward one month and the Brewers are champions of what is now regarded as the toughest division in Major League baseball.
It wasn't easy, but the manager Craig Counsell-led Brewers kept plodding away and thanks to an eight-game winning streak and a 3-1 victory over the Cubs in Monday's one-game tiebreaker at Wrigley Field, the Brewers await their opponent in the NL Division Playoffs on Thursday.
It's been a Cinderella story for the Brewers all season, but now they are in the driver's street with home field advantage throughout the playoffs thanks to their best record in the NL.
How will they do?
Personally, I believe they could make it to the World Series and then who knows?
What do you think?
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GO BREWERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you remember the first deer you shot?
I do, and so does everyone else who has ever hunted deer with gun, bow, muzzleloader or crossbow.
Whether it was a doe, spike buck or large antlered beauty, they are all trophies in the eyes of the beholder.
Those "first deer" memories last a lifetime, and you can bet your best buck knife they are told every year in deer camps throughout the country. Trophy deer tales and others are also told in camps each year, but the "first deer" stories are the best.
On Sunday, my good friend, Gary Gonczy, sent me a photo in an email about his 9-year-old grandson, Grayson Zielke, of Holmen.
"My 9 year old grandson's first deer," Gonz wrote. "Shot it yesterday with a crossbow."
The photo and few words instantly brought back memories of my first deer - a small forkhorn. It made this old hunter smile while fishing off Ol' Tom's boathouse.
Gonz is a proud grandpa and should be, but not as proud as Grayson. Indeed, that's quite an accomplishment for a fourth grader.
Grayson now joins a long list of "first deer" storytellers. I wonder how many times he's told the story and shared photos at school today.
Congrats Grayson.