Dave's funeral

Cindy and I drove over to the funeral home yesterday to pay our respects to the family and friends of Dave Williamson. The funeral home had a running series of photographs of Dave on a television screen and we stood for awhile and watched the pictures of Dave during his life running on the screen. Most of the people at the funeral home were quite young. One of Kate's friends in high school, along with her mother, who was also one of Kate's teachers, were there. We got to talk with them briefly.

I was a little shocked to see the body in the casket. The showing of the body is always a little strange to me. An odd custom. But still. He was dressed in a pastel polo shirt and a Georgia Southern hat. Perhaps it was the same hat I saw him wearing before when I ran into him and his mother in the grocery store.

We still have a picture on the refrigerator with Kate, Carolyn and Dave posing for a picture of the Spalding High "Future Problem Solvers" team. The attitudes of the photographed are humorous. I like that image much more than the one in the funeral home.

I remember driving up to Athens in 2004 to stay in the University Inn with the three of them, after their sponsor had left them to come back to Griffin. I spent the evening with them, trying to help them get prepared for their presentations the next day. I ended up sharing a room with Dave while Kate and Carolyn slept in the adjoining room.

The next morning, we walked down to the place where the competition was to be held and they participated in the presentations. It was fun and they won several awards, although they didn't win the overall competition. I think I took them over to Barberito's for lunch before we came back home. It ended up being a lot of fun with the three of them.

I always enjoy being with Kate's friends. They make me feel younger and in touch with life. Its such a shame when something like this occurs at such a young age. Our days on this earth are not guaranteed. No matter how old we are.