Edward and his Nicknames

A friend I grew up died the other day. His first name was Edward but he had two nick names “Sonny” and “Jerry”. I knew him mostly by Jerry and forgot he also went by Sonny.

I emailed a friend that I knew was in our class at school and told him the bad news. He wrote back and said he didn’t remember Jerry M., but he did remember a Sonny M. There you go.

We went to the funeral home and paid our respects. There were a lot of people there, but I only recognized two, Pat, Jerry’s brother and Melvin, an old classmate. Melvin and Pat have not changed in facial features at all in the past 50 years. It must be nice.

Mayes Ward Funeral Home had a digital picture frame running. It was a picture collection of Jerry. Whoever picked the pictures did an excellent job and knew Jerry well. Each one brought out his personality as I knew him.

I don’t remember seeing Jerry after the 9th grade. He may have went into the service. I do remember continuing seeing his two younger brothers Pat and Jack at school. Jack died about 20 years ago I found out yesterday.

Back in the 9th grade Jerry wanted to a policeman. He envied me for having the chief of the Cobb County Police as a father. I remember he was always talking about being a policeman.

One time he came to school beaming. He said either a peeping Tom or a rapist was caught in his neighborhood and the arresting policemen held the man so the victim’s husband could get in a few hits. Tch tch….. they were Marietta City Police, not Cobb County Police.

Another nickname Jerry had was “Snake”. When he ran in phys ed his spine bowed. He was very skinny and the bowed back made him look like a snake on the run. Larry Holcomb nicknamed him Snake.

In the obituary it said Jerry was retired from the Cobb County Police. He was known as “Captain Mac.”

I think the more nick names you carry to the grave with you the more memories you are leaving behind.