Carl

I said goodbye to another good friend this week.

With the passing of Carl Williams I lost a friend who enjoyed the art of conversation.

We had a bunch of them, Carl and I.

A majority of them centered around the history of Kennett.

In fact, with Keith Mitchell, Sol Astrachan, and now, Carl, all gone, we’ve lost quite a few of our local historians.

As a fellow Rotarian member Carl passed on a lot of Rotary history to me.

A testament to Carl was during his visitation.

The line of those paying their respects never let up from the time the doors opened.

There was a steady stream right up to the time of the service.

That’s how important Carl was to this community.

That’s how many lives he had touched.

Living into your ninth decade, most of your peers are gone. They’ve already passed.

But during his funeral the room was packed.

A life well lived indeed.

I have a few mementos in my home and office that Carl has given me over the years.

I’ll cherish these and think of him often when looking at them.

But, the main thing I’ll miss are the conversations, and that smile.

That boyish grin, and sparkle in his eye, that he retained since youth.

Goodbye Sunshine and thanks so much for the talks.

See you out there.