Old Farts at the Funeral Home

Within the past few days I had a friend to die and also a relative of Anna’s to die.

Earl was a postal friend. When I first transferred to the Marietta Postal Office I first worked at the main office and there I worked with Earl for a short time. before I was transferred to a station branch.

Twenty some odd years later we ran into each other again, last year in North Georgia at a informal class reunion – some of our class, about a dozen met and we went to a Billy Joe Royal concert. One of the classmates was Betty. I was Betty’s parents paper boy back in the early mid 1950s. Betty was married to Earl. After we found out that each of us worked for the Marietta Post Office we had a lot to talk about, a lot of common friends and enemies – but we could not remember each other…. Well, I can understand Earl not remembering me, but I can’t understand why I couldn’t remember him. But we talked and got to know each other, and for a while I swapped forwarded email jokes with him and Betty. I hated to hear he died.

Anna’s mother’s late first cousin’s wife Lois died. I knew of Lois before I knew of Anna. Her and my mother double dated when they first moved to Marietta. Lois moved from the Blue Ridge, Georgia, area and Mama was from the Murray County, Georgia, area, which is right over the mountain from Blue Ridge.

Tonight Earl and Lois, and four or more others were having last farewells at Mayes Ward Funeral Home. Anna and I took Anna’s mother. The parking lot was so full, I let them out and had to drive four blocks away to the Square to park.

I got to see and talk to several old Marietta postal friends, mostly retired. One retired postal friend is trying to organize a monthly breakfast and asked would I come and be part of it. Sure. So, he took down my name, address, email, and telephone number. I bet I don’t hear from him. I get lost in the cracks a lot.

All the old postal friends I saw I can think of one thing: OLD. They have grown old on me. I have gone eight years without seeing most of them – I am a recluse by nature. Speaking of nature, it took its course on my friends. They have grown balder, grayer, and fatter…. Me too!

And two visiting retired postal workers had to walk with the aid of a cane. Gads, We are breaking too.