After 33 years of hard work at Metalúrgica Eberle, Domingos Gedoz did what he wanted: he rested a lot. In retirement, he lived the life many dreamed of: he slept as long as he pleased, had the breakfast made by his wife and sat in the sun to admire his plots of land.
  
He had lunch punctually at noon (rice and beans, “food of the gods”, as he used to say) and rested until it was time for the bar (the “casino”, as he called it), where he played cards and drank with his neighborhood friends. Everyone on the street knew him; after all, he made that journey between home and the bar, leaning on his little cane, several times a day. So much so that on the day of his passing, Bar do Pingo, in Panazzolo, Caxias do Sul, RS, closed its doors in mourning. 
  
Domingos, despite having had good retirement years, did not always have such an easy life. His childhood in the rural area of Carlos Barbosa, RS, was particularly challenging… And he never liked to talk much about that time. In fact, he did not like to talk about anything too personal. 

At the age of 14, he officially stopped being a child to become an employee of the largest metalworks in Caxias do Sul. And his routine, from then on, was one of work, effort and sacrifice.
  
But this story also had chapters of love. At a soccer match, Domingos met a young woman from Flores da Cunha and fell in love. With Luci Basso, he lived the greatest adventure of his life: they had six children, one after another. And then, six grandchildren.

In all of them remains the memory of a father and grandfather who loved them dearly and showed it in his own peculiar way — perhaps not the most affectionate of all, but always very genuine. 

Domingos was known for being very sincere and for doing whatever he felt like. Authentic. That is the word that describes him. And there is a famous Christmas story that illustrates this trait well: after having drawn his own name in the family's Secret Santa, and tired of having to redo the game because of it, Domingos decided to keep quiet. On Christmas Eve, the day for handing out the gifts, the game ended and only he was left, and he announced, without the slightest embarrassment, that his secret friend was “himself”. And for “himself”, he had bought a bottle of Johnnie Walker.

That was Domingos. Unpredictable. And memorable. 

Text: Valquíria Vita, Legado Histórias de Vida

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