Mr. Write's Page

Mar. 17, 2008:

Yesterday, I got home from my uncle Allan’s funeral in Savannah. I stayed a few extra days to help move his belongings from his apartment to my aunt’s house.

Actually, I pretty much did the moving on my own. Aunt Betty is 83, and Uncle John is 85. But we got it done. Betty’s side porch is now stacked high with boxes of tools, electronics, and Sansabelt slacks.

Allan was an aircraft engine mechanic. He learned his trade in WWII and for years worked at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station as a civilian, training Navy ground crews. He retired about the time jets muscled out propellers. He never married.

His hobby was to build things — or dismantle them to see how they worked. All of us Smiths have clocks, barometers, and model airplanes around the house that Allan made over the years.

He was the only person I ever knew who did exactly as he pleased, when it pleased him. He didn’t give a damn what others thought, said, or did.

Furthermore, he never said an unpleasant word about anyone — except for one cousin who was widely considered a jerk. Even Allan agreed on that.

We all thought of Allan as eccentric and, especially as he got older and more hard of hearing, a bit comical.

But at the same time, he was friendly, generous, curious, well-adjusted, undemanding, and totally comfortable in his own skin.

God knows, more of us ought to be like that.

Although I avoided taking photos at the funeral, I did take a few in the days following. One of them shows Betty and John, the surviving siblings, consoling each other at the Smith family plot in Bonaventure Cemetery.

Bonaventure is the cemetery featured in “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” It’s incredibly beautiful, especially in the spring. Unfortunately, last week was a bit early for the floral display. In another 7-10 days, the azaleas will bring a tear to your eye.

A spot at Bonaventure is reserved for me, too, next to Mom and Dad.

I have no plans to use it anytime soon.

James Allan Smith (1918-2008)