Remembering the strength of the Possum Philosopher
There ain't nothin' in the world that I like better/
Than bacon and lettuce and homegrown tomatoes/
Up in the mornin', out in the garden/
Get you a ripe one, don't get a hard one/
Plant 'em in the spring, eat 'em in the summer/
All winter without 'em's a culinary bummer/
I forget all about the sweatin' and diggin'/
Every time I go out and pick me a big one/
Now if I was to change this life I lead/
Well I'd be Johnny Tomato Seed/
'Cause I know what this country needs/
It's homegrown tomatoes in every yard you see/
When I die, don't bury me/
In a box in a cemetery/
Out in the garden would be much better/
And I could be pushin' up homegrown tomatoes/
Homegrown tomatoes, homegrown tomatoes/
What'd life be without homegrown tomatoes?/
Only two things that money can't buy/
And that's true love and homegrown tomatoes.
-- From the song Homegrown Tomatoes by Guy Clark.
It was one of life’s guarantees. For the at least two decades that Robert “Rocky” Cahill penned a column for this newspaper, at some point in the summer, he’d publish a piece about his love of right-off-the-vine, homegrown tomatoes.
The above song excerpt was published with one such column.
Another guarantee was that at some point during baseball season, he’d write about his love of America’s pastime. No team ranked higher for Rocky than the New York Yankees. However, he did acknowledge other folks’ teams and would celebrate with them. He’d often text me in the midst of Dodgers’ game. About as long as he’d loved the Yankees, I’d been a Dodgers fan. The longtime rivalry between the two teams only invigorated our friendship.
Rocky would also often celebrate his beloved wife Terry’s team, the Braves.
Yet, despite these delights, when it came to writing his columns, Rocky’s top passion outweighed all other subjects. That was his love of Saltville, his hometown.
He lived that love.
Rocky served a stint as the town’s mayor and on the town council. He possessed a strong sense of right and wrong, and wanted to act quickly when he perceived a wrong. We had lots of discussions about slowing down and talking to the supposed violator.
We also had more than a few ardent discussions about what had to stay on the town council side of his life and what could come into the newspaper through his column. It might have occasionally been begrudging, but he always agreed to err on the side of newspaper ethics. That’s not an easy thing to do, but it’s the right path to take and Rocky did – and it never stopped him from sending news tips my way!
With decades of a professional relationship and a friendship, so many memories returned when I learned of Rocky’s death on Oct. 2 at the age of 76.
When all things were put side by side, Rocky’s courage at sharing his Early Onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis through his column taught me the most about him.
In September 2014, he reflected on the many occasions he’d been able to encourage support of good causes and local charities through his column. He went on to say that Terry and her co-workers were joining a walk to raise funds to help researchers cure or eradicate Alzheimer’s disease. Then, he added, “a horrid malady that I know firsthand.”
Then, Rocky shared the pain of seeing his mother die from complications of Alzheimer's.
He wrote, “The sweetest woman I ever knew, my mother who was not only sweet but also highly intelligent, eventually died from complications of Alzheimer’s…. We watched our dear mother, so loving as she was, waste away with pneumonia. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her terribly.”
Rocky hoped for a cure.
The next month, Rocky penned his last column.
He teasingly let people know that I hadn’t fired him. He acknowledged writer’s block and the growing challenge of coming up with new column ideas.
Still, he hoped to return.
He wrote: “For a while and, though I am not sure how long, I don’t expect it to be a really long time, I am taking a break. So, you, dear readers, are not rid of me forever; I’m just giving you a few weeks off. (Is that noise I hear applauding?) You are not rid of me permanently -- at least not just yet.”
In those columns, Rocky exhibited such grace, courage, humanity, and care for others, especially his readers, while facing one of the greatest trials of life. May we all know moments of such strength.
Please join me in remembering Rocky and celebrating his gifts to us. A few fresh tomatoes may still be about. If you find one, savor the flavor, the juice, a taste of summer. As for baseball, the season is reaching its height. Put on your cap and cheer.
Finally, learn more about Alzheimer's and consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association, which possesses a four-star rating (96%) from Charity Navigator and a B+ rating from CharityWatch.
Our part may be small, but let’s continue to live out Rocky’s hope.
Peace, grace, and goodness to you all.
Stephanie Porter-Nichols serves as editor of the Smyth County News & Messenger.
