My best friend, Howard Hutcheson, left this earth early Saturday morning. Not ten hours earlier, we were talking about land the Spruce Pine Hisotrical Society was purchasing, and he’d stopped by to help Billy Herring and Buice Swinney work on clearing the land.
Only a few days prior, Howard had a couple of stents put in, so his ability to help was limited. He said he wasn’t much help, so he left. You see, Howard wasn’t much for watching other people work. He’s a helper, and he’s one of those helpers who will do more but never less. If he’d known his days were few, I’m almost certain he would have stayed on and worked anyway, because he had a passion-driven desire for Spruce Pine.
He felt honored to be elected president of the Spruce Pine Historical Society, and he worked hard not to disappoint anyone. Our man power is quickly dwindling, so there is one way I know to show appreciation to one of the finest men I’ve ever had the privilege to know. You, too, can lend a helping hand in clearing this land and helping with the maintenance and upkeep of our Community Center and museum. There’s always somewhere help is needed.
Meetings are held monthly. The time and date are always published in this paper. We need and appreciate suggestions, physical and moral support, and members. All of these things will continue to be a factor in the longevity of Spruce Pine.
It doesn’t end when our officers and members die. We’ve had to overcome before, and with volunteer help and through the help of God, we will continue to build our small community.
I was elected vice-president of the historical society, and even though I’d never expected to be president, that has now become my role. All I know is, the many years I’ve known Howard, he’s never let me down, so now it’s my turn to step up and show my respect for him. It will be a privilege and honor to continue pursuing his goals.
One of the last things I told Howard was, “I know I give you a hard time, but I love you to death.” And the best thing about this is, the last words I heard from him were, “I love you, too!”
