Jerry Colvin
I attended a visitation last night, for Jerry Colvin. Jerry was my next-door neighbor for 13 years, until I bailed on the city last summer. He was the kind of neighbor you hope for when you’re buying a home. Jerry is the guy you call when you need to borrow a saw, or need some help moving a refrigerator. Good people, the Colvin family... Jerry and I raised our kids alongside each other, helped each other when we could, and pondered world events, leaning on the hood of his Suburban at the end of the day.
Jerry worked at FedEx. I know that, because of the FedEx shirts he wore during the week. I gather he drove a truck for them, but he really didn’t talk about it much. I have no doubt he was a good employee… he worked hard in everything he did, but working for FedEx did not define him. If you were going to start a sentence with ‘Jerry was…’ a FedEx driver wouldn’t really fit.
Before anything else, Jerry was a dad. His relationship with his son and his daughter were, without a doubt, the most important thing in his life. Jerry was a scout leader. Not the normal sort, the guy who helped out once in a while, but the guy who was always there… the one that spends his weekends rebuilding the troop’s camping trailer… the guy that really makes things work.
Jerry’s death is one of those events that makes you want to look up and ask why. He was 50, in better than average condition, didn’t drink, quit smoking, always seemed most happy when he was fixing something, or helping someone else fix something. I’ve been told all my life that the good Lord has his reasons, but unless the pearly gates need new hinges, I’ll never understand this one.
Goodbye, Jerry, I’ll miss your smile, your ‘get it done’ attitude, and your generous nature.
To Chris and Kasey Colvin, if you happen to see this, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I always thought the world of your dad. If you ever feel the need to talk to someone about him, or about anything, for that matter, I’d be honored if you’d give me a call. If you need to get away for a few days, you’re more than welcome to come down here.