Last week we lost one of our most faithful readers of the Miller County Liberal.

Every week, if I was anywhere near on time, as long as I can remember, Cecil Davis would be the first one to meet me at the paper machine just outside of Hardee's.

Cecil had me by 10 years, but that's not what slowed him down.

Just a few weeks ago, Cecil got sick and had to go to the hospital. The next thing I knew, he was in the nursing home.

Those of you who knew Cecil knew him as a quiet, private man who worked for the late Roy Bush for a lifetime, had a family, lost some of his family, but kept on keeping on.

His last years up until he went to the hospital, he enjoyed being around the people at the Senior Center. There are all ages down there from 50/60s to 70/80/90s and above.

Every time I went to get my favorite mother-inlaw, Uva, Cecil was still inside with the paid help cleaning up and getting the chairs ready for the next day, he volunteered his time.

As I said, Cecil didn't move too fast as long as I knew him, but he didn't ask anyone to help him, and he didn't use a cane or a walker to get to his old, dirty Ford auto.

When the Senior Center had a dance, there were only a few left that could get out on the floor, but if he could find a partner, Cecil was out on the dance floor. We called it the "Cecil Shuffle". He did pretty good with the slow dances.

The last time Cecil went to the Senior Center, he almost didn't make it to his car, but he made it.

I remember Cecil in his early life as slow and faithful to work as he was in his later life with the old folks. He lived alone, and I wasn't too sure he had that many friends. He was a veteran, and he did attend the American Legion and VFW functions. He served his country faithfully, although you never heard him speak of his time in service.

When Cecil went to the nursing home, I took him a Miller County Liberal to his room. He could still shuffle up and down the hall. I don't think he would have been prouder if I had taken him a bucket of $100 bills. Most of my friends down at the nursing home are almost as proud to get their Liberal.

We had just put his name on his paper the week before he died. Some relatives were visiting him when I took him his Liberal, and noticed that he had two. I told him to give the spare to his visitors.

Cecil was a man of few words, and what you saw is what you got. He made no pretense of being anything more than what he was, and I kind of like that in anyone.

When I was called to tell me that Cecil had died, my first thoughts were that I would miss seeing him at the nursing home. My second thought was that I am glad he had visitors, because as quiet and almost shy that he was, he loved to be around people. If it wasn't at Hardee's or Helen's, he enjoyed the senior center. If he had lived, he would have enjoyed some of the residents at the nursing home.

I have a confession to make. When they announced his funeral at Colquitt Freewill Church, I thought to myself, there won't be many go to old Cecil's funeral, I better go.

Was I pleasantly surprised. The church was almost full.

The Reverend Kent Barwick did a great job of telling us about Cecil, things some of us didn't know, like how faithful he had always been to the church and how he was there to do whatever he was able to do.

The veterans were some of his pallbearers. The main pallbearers were some of his eating friends and buddies.

Cecil would have been proud of what was said of him and the music and the crowd. He would have been proud of a fairly large family that came to see his going away, and the many folks who came to console his girl.

Oh, that slow shuffle that Cecil had, was caused by frozen feet when he served his county in Korea.

Good bye, old friend, and have a blessed eternity. I hope they like to dance!