I work at a large hospital in Bergen County and a few years ago I ran into an old friend from the Greenville section of Jersey City. She told me her dad was a patient and was in serious condition and she wanted to know if I could get in touch with Chuck Wepner because Chuck and her dad were longtime friends and he wished to see him one last time.
I reached out to man about town Gary DeFilippo, of Gary's Sweet Shoppe, and Gary got the message to Chuck. Two days later Chuck came to the hospital and I escorted him up to the room to see his friend. When we got there the nurse asked that we wait a few minutes at the nurses station while they attended to his friend. Within minutes Chuck had attracted a small group of doctors, nurses, patients and visitors, and had all of them laughing with his jokes and story telling -- a typical Chuck Wepner moment.
Finally, Chuck went into see his friend and he was there the good part of an hour -- just the two of them. When Chuck came out I noticed he was upset, but he told me his friend had always been in his corner and when he first started boxing he would give him part of every purse to hold so he wouldn't spend it all. Over the years, if he needed some money his friend always had it for him. Chuck asked me to let his friend's daughter know he and his wife were going on a cruise the next day and that if something happened in the next few days, he wouldn't be at the funeral. As fate would have it his friend passed the next day. When I talked to his daughter, she said Chuck had granted one of her dad's final wishes and that all he talked about the final days was Chuck.
This is the side of Chuck Wepner many people don't know about. He never says no to a benefit for kids or a worthy cause. He tells his stories and his jokes, he signs autographs and takes pictures, and never wants anything in return.
So if you see Chuck riding around Hudson County, look at his license plate. It reads "Champ" -- because that is what he is in and out of the ring.
Source: nj
