June 27, 2008 Tribute

“He was the best buddy a guy could ever have.”

Pardon the personal indulgence.  I trust you take them from time to time, particularly as they pertain to loved ones.  This edition of “They Said It” is a tribute of sorts, a remembrance of someone remarkable and extraordinary.  While any attempt I make to honor this man will fall well short of the mark, I endeavor nonetheless.  Words are not adequate tribute.  The man understood that it isn’t about “what” you do but “how” you do it.  He did it all quite well.

The call came as I was shaving last Saturday morning.  As quickly as the news was shared, sadness set in.  Uncle Carson had passed away…peacefully…in his sleep.  Sadness was soon joined by gratitude.  All who knew him were grateful for the privilege.  It was, in fact, an honor.    

Carson Rhudy Halsey was raised in a faraway time in a place that’s much different now.  Like many his age, he was stricken with poliomyelitis.  Unlike so many, he conquered it.  In spite of being moved away from his family to a polio “camp” and placed in an iron lung to wonder about his prospects for life and the closeness of death, Uncle Carson somehow made it.  “Made it”, in Uncle Carson’s case, is a gross understatement.  His will and a mother’s prayers carried the day.

When disappointed in family or individual performance, he taught that “Halseys don’t do things that way”.  Seeing him in action let you know that he knew “how” to do things.  His teachings were an extension of his example.

My father, Uncle Carson’s older brother, is understandably shaken by the passing.  The exit route called death sometimes leaves little runway.  After shaving on Saturday with the news still fresh, I went to see my Dad.  Referring immediately to his loss and with emotion in his voice, Dad said, “He was the best buddy a guy could ever have.”

 Those words come close to adequate in paying tribute.

To Aunt Linda and to Greg, Pam, Chris, and Mitch; and to your families:  With much love and wanting for a more fitting tribute.  You know “how” to do things, too.