No headline

Update on a couple of Priest River old-timers. Annie and I were in a store in Spokane the other day, and low and behold, who did we run into, none other than John and Helen Delay. John was the former druggist in Priest River and Newport. He is now 97 and Helen is 94. John even still drives around his area. They live in a “cottage,” like the cottages that I have in Priest River. They both are still sharp and doing good for their ages. I remember years ago going on some mountain lake fishing trips with John ( nothing but good times.) And boy could he walk!! Would leave most people behind.

Then there is my old friend, George Douglass. He has been in an Alzheimer’s home in Texas for about six years now. He has gotten very thin, but other than that, his body is holding up, but his mind has slipped as he doesn’t know people. About, maybe 3 years ago, he commented to his wife Nadine, “didn’t I used to own a couple guns?” For those who may not know, George was a high-grade gun dealer and usually had about 500 rifles and shotguns on hand at any one time and maybe a couple hundred pistols. At one time, I commented to George, “you must know more about these high-grade guns than anyone.” He replied, “No, there are about five of us.”

But boy he knew his stuff. I traveled with him on gun business, to England, Germany, Austria and even India (that was quite a trip). But now life is slipping away for all of us “old timers.”

ROGER GREGORY

Priest River