The past few weeks have been rather difficult with a number of deaths around the county. Two that were personal for me were Linda Cooper of Bruce and Gordon Cook of Pittsboro.
Linda’s husband Bob is a fellow Bad Table member at Bruce Rotary Club and among my older friends in Calhoun. Sixty-two seems far too young these days to lose someone but that is the cruelty of cancer.
Joel McNeece
I was moved by her service, particularly the playing of Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” which I found very appropriate.
Simply put, Gordon Cook was probably the nicest man I’ve ever met. I had opportunities to feature him in the paper on several occasions, most often with his hunting dogs, and I always left his company with a smile. Although I only knew him the last 15 years of his life, he always treated me, as he did everybody, like a life-long friend. He will most definitely be missed.
•I enjoyed the first SquareFest last weekend in Calhoun City. Friday’s movie night was a great success and they had a terrific turnout for the 5K.
The highlight, however, was the fried Twinkie Alison Armstrong, of Bruce, was serving in her tent. Dipped in funnel cake batter and then rolled around in a deep fryer, it was topped with powdered sugar and then drizzled with caramel.
The frying process made the inside of the Twinkie even more moist than they already are. I would definitely have another. We have a video of the frying on our website.
•The weirdest story of the weekend came from 5K winner Jordan Moore. He finished so far ahead of the rest of the field we had time to visit after the race and he told me of a very frightening discovery he recently made.
Jordan and his girlfriend Annalee Pierce, of Cleveland, were fishing in the Mississippi River near Shelby when they saw what they believed to be a dead body floating in the river.
The body appeared to be a black male of undetermined age, possibly between 35-50 years of age. It was believed it had been in the water for a couple of weeks or longer.
Jordan said authorities began contacting agenices up river to Memphis and beyond to find a report of any missing person.
Jordan said he was there until the cadaver was placed in a body bag, and he and the coroner drove it to shore in his boat.
The Bolivar Commercial reported this week that authorities still can’t identify the male, but said he had a large tattoo that spelled out “Faith” on his upper back, a black hoop earring in his left ear and one black and blue Nike gym shoe and a pair of US Polo socks. Hopefully some family of the victim can eventually be located.
There’s no question it’s a fishing trip Jordan and Annalee will never forget.
Email Joel McNeece at joelmcneece@gmail.com & follow him on Twitter @joelmcneece