Friday, June 02, 2017

Death of an Old Friend

Jack McCollum
Photo
from
Salem, Arkansas

My brother Shan emailed me the sad news that my old friend Jack McCollum had died:
Sad news: Jack McCollum died a few days ago. He had been in bad health for a long time. I knew you would want to know. He was a good guy with a bad problem with alcohol.
Sad indeed, but even back in high school, I had expected Jack to develop an alcohol problem. I recall him driving around town with me in the passenger seat and him so drunk that he imagined the cops were tailing him when there wasn't a policeman anywhere to be seen.

Shan had it right, though. Jack was a good guy with a bad problem. Excessive drinking was his only flaw, and even then, he was a friendly drunk. Nobody ever had anything bad to say about Jack.

I knew him well. We not only went to school together, we even worked together in the hay fields, and that was the kind of work that bonds young men to one another in friendship.

Jack was the kind of guy you could call on at three in the morning on a cold snowy night to come help you get your car out of a ditch, and he'd get up out of bed and drive over to help you.

He was that kind of good guy. You can read his obituary here.

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6 Comments:

At 12:53 PM, Blogger Kevin Kim said...

My sincere condolences, Jeff.

 
At 4:09 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Thanks, Kevin.

Jeffery Hodges

@ @ @

 
At 3:18 AM, Blogger Shannon Hodges said...

He will be missed. RIP Jack.

 
At 9:57 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Yes, RIP, Jack.

Jeffery Hodges

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At 1:32 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

While not unexpected, Jack's passing still fills me with sadness. Your kind words certainly sums up how myself and many of our classmates felt. Jack was as fine of a friend as one could have. Always ready to help out and able to find humor in almost any situation.

Jay

 
At 4:10 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Thanks for your own kind words, Jay.

Jeffery Hodges

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