Lack of leg has barely slowed native country-music legend | Music

ST. JOSEPH — It’s been simply seven months since central Illinois country-music legend Marvin Lee Flessner had his left leg amputated.

“It was laborious,” Flessner mentioned of the choice that he and his spouse of 66 years, Elaine, needed to rapidly make to save lots of his life.

However due to good medical doctors, good drugs, good therapists and particularly, good music, the 89-year-old rural St. Joseph man is continuous to the touch the hearts of legions of his followers.

“I’m caught with the wheelchair,” Flessner mentioned. “In Philo, they simply choose up the wheelchair and put me on the stage.”

A little bit of background for many who could be unfamiliar with the Champaign County native.

Flessner was born in 1933 to Ekke and Katie Flessner and raised on a farm north of St. Joseph, the place he nonetheless lives.

Flessner spent most of his life farming the identical floor that’s now labored by his son Darrin Flessner. He and Elaine even have a daughter, Sheri Leyrer, and one other son, Bryan Flessner, who just lately had his 15 seconds of fame for having bred Trumpet the bloodhound, who simply grew to become the primary bloodhound to win Finest in Present on the Westminster Kennel Membership Canine Present.

They’ve seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A piano at his faculty first attracted Flessner to music.

“I simply began singing and my mom inspired me,” he mentioned. “After I was 14, I took guitar classes and the instructor seen I performed by ear. That was a giant mistake as a result of I wanted to be taught all these fancy chords and I didn’t.

“After I was 20, they took me to take accordion classes at C.V. Lloyde (music retailer) in downtown Champaign. Mother had a pump organ upstairs in our farmhouse. I might go up there and fiddle with that,” he reminisced about his musical roots.

His messing round and formal coaching resulted in him singing and taking part in guitar, accordion, piano and violin.

“I sang for reunions and stuff once I was slightly tyke. It’s most likely been 75 years,” he mentioned of his music-making present.

Quick ahead to 2018, when a ache in his leg turned out to be a blood clot. He had surgical procedure to take away it.

“He ran a brand new line from my foot to my thigh,” he mentioned of the repair for the life-threatening situation.

All was properly till about 18 months in the past, when he felt leg ache once more.

“I had it checked out and it was all types of an infection,” he mentioned.

A number of rounds and sorts of antibiotics didn’t remove the an infection. Round Christmas final yr, he and Elaine had been contemplating getting a second opinion in St. Louis.

Earlier than they might make that occur, a Carle physician gave them sufficient particulars on his an infection to make them notice there wasn’t time for extra analysis.

“We needed to sit there and determine to take it off,” he mentioned of his physician’s appointment round Jan. 13. “It was laborious.”

“We requested the physician, ‘When are you going to take it off?’ He mentioned, ‘Tomorrow morning,’” Flessner mentioned of the response that hammered house the gravity of his situation and gave him little time to arrange mentally for the life-changing occasion.

To make sure that all of the an infection was eradicated, they needed to make the even-more-difficult choice to take away the leg above the knee, a alternative that made later mobility harder.

After three weeks in Carle, first therapeutic from the amputation and later rehabilitation, Flessner was again at a home that now features a ramp to accommodate his wheelchair and a wider lavatory door.

“We adjusted, and I can get round fairly good,” he mentioned.

Elaine drives the automotive to the underside of the ramp.

“I stand up to the automotive, get up on one leg, get in and drive,” he mentioned. “My spouse has to take the wheelchair and elevate it into the automotive.”

Fairly outstanding for his 83-year-old life companion, whom he praises as a “good farm gal.”

Throughout a house go to, a therapist seen his guitar.

“He mentioned, ‘Get on that and sing as a lot as you may, as a result of that’s good remedy,’” Flessner mentioned.

He took that recommendation and received again to performing, singing at just a few latest funerals and at different venues that may accommodate his wheelchair.

“That’s been a blessing. Each place I’m going, individuals say, ‘When are you going to begin Philo?’” he mentioned.

He’s referring to the concert events which have been held for seven weeks on Tuesday nights in August and September for greater than a decade in Hale Park on the north facet of Philo.

“It’s received a giant pavilion and slightly shelter over the stage. We get about 200 to 300 individuals in garden chairs,” he mentioned of the group that options largely white hair or not a lot hair.

Over time, Flessner has been accompanied by scores of gifted musicians on acquainted nation and bluegrass tunes and gospel classics.

In all probability essentially the most well-known of his fees is Alison Krauss, whose 27 Grammys had been the report for a feminine artist till Beyoncé eclipsed her final yr. Flessner mentioned the 51-year-old fiddling youngster prodigy was about 10 when she first carried out together with his band within the early Eighties.

Tuesday’s efficiency featured Logan Kirby, 30, of Fairmount, who prefers traditional nation and, in accordance with Flessner, is a superb Elvis Presley.

“He’s a really nice singer,” Flessner mentioned. “I began with him about 10 or 12 years in the past. He’s now taking part in the Beef Home, the Little Theater.”

Along with Kirby final Tuesday, Flessner summoned this coming Tuesday evening’s featured artist, Homer Faucet, to the microphone to provide the viewers a sneak preview. The rich-voiced baritone didn’t disappoint together with his model of “Sixteen Tons.”

The Tuesday Philo performances begin round 6:30 p.m. or earlier as a result of “if the group is right here, we’ll play,” Flessner mentioned.

Sidney Dairy Barn proprietor Dennis Riggs and supervisor Chris West had been hawking their ice cream to go along with the Philo Hearth Division’s pork-chop sandwiches. Add in low humidity to the stay music, and the entire expertise is a assured good time.

Flessner mentioned the gospel present after Labor Day normally leads to essentially the most cash donated when the hampers are handed.

“We give the cash to Salt & Gentle,” he mentioned of that present.

Flessner mentioned when he performs at retirement properties, he prefers to fall again on these traditional nation and gospel tunes.

“I discover their lips transferring alongside to the songs I’m singing. If I do new nation songs, they wouldn’t know these phrases,” he mentioned of his motivation to please his viewers.

Regardless of the optimistic function music has performed in his restoration, Flessner admits to being down some days. His first prosthesis has not labored properly for him and he deliberate to speak to the physician Wednesday a few second. Like many amputees, he’s had phantom ache.

“My ankle hurts and it’s not there,” he mentioned.

Nonetheless, he’s grateful that he’s largely pain-free nowadays and in a position to do what he loves.

“There’s those that have ache each day. I don’t have a lot ache. That’s a blessing,” he mentioned. “The leg healed up fairly good.”

His favourite tune to carry out is becoming.

“There’s so many, however most likely ‘Thank You Lord for Your Blessings on Me,’” he mentioned.