Timmy was known first as the Balloon Man,as he always showed up in his top hat with balloons for the kids and made everyone happy then went to the New England Conservatory for piano and came back to become the piano guy, tuning, playing and owning the music store on Caroline St until his passing after Hurricane Irma in Key West in 2018. He is sorely missed! RIP Piano Man!!
Timothy Gene Wegman passed to the other side on December 21, the Solstice (the day when the sun is as far South as it can go.)
Tim first came to Key West in 1972 from Indiana to visit me and never left. His first job was to run a fruit stand I had built for my oldest daughter, Karla, who was 5 years old. We stayed above Howie's Bar on lower Duval St. About that time, when I bought my first boat, Tim bought a lobster boat and gave it a try for a couple years. After which he took over the first health food store in Key West called the 'Herb Garden.' Those were Happy Days, he had a grand piano in the window which some very talented people would come in and play. He also had a free box outside for used items. I would come back to town after sailing around the Caribbean and would help Tim with making signs and t-shirts. Another one of his great ideas was a sandwich shop on the side of a store called the 'Food Show,' it was called 'The Fu Burger,' and was a big hit. The big grocery stores now had health food sections, so the days of independent stores were numbered.
Tim's real love for music sent him to Boston to the Conservatory to learn how to fix pianos. A year later, he came back to Key West and started a piano-tuning business and music store called A490 Piano Service on Caroline Street. He was also known as the Key West Balloon Man, showing up at birthday parties and Mallory Square with his balloons, top hat and red suspenders, but like anything else, all good things come to an end.
Plagued by health problems during his last few years, Tim gave a lot to Key West including a 9-foot Concert Steinway grand piano which will go to a cultural center on Fleming Street to be used to teach kids, give concerts and help with scholarships.
Tim is survived by four brothers and three sisters. His last birthday party and wake will be held at the Green Parrot Bar on January 16, 2018, at 5:30 p.m. He would have been 67. By David Wegman.
