Remembering Larry Craig

I said goodbye to another part of my childhood recently.
If you only knew Larry Craig in his public capacity as an elected official, you missed the better part of the man, not that public service is anything to sneeze at.
Personally, I am going to miss his sense of humor.
The last time I saw him was almost a year ago. We were at the hospital and he was still comfortable with suffering in the wake of his wife Barbara’s death only a few months earlier.
He came to encourage and comfort my family. The gift he brought us was a smile and his uniquely funny perspective on life.
With a twinkle in his eye, he and his daughter, Toni, told me about the “casserole ladies.” It was obvious that he was flattered by their attention, but he really only wanted an excuse to talk about Barbara.
My favorite thing about Larry was the way he talked about Barbara.
I liked the way they smiled at each other and the way she was so relaxed and happy whenever he was around.
Funny, the things that impress us as kids.
I also remember the way Larry could grill up a fabulous sirloin.
And the way he switched political parties back when being a Republican in Smith County meant that none of your friends would get to vote for ya in the primary because everyone, and I mean everyone, voted in the Democratic primary.
Those were the days when George Bush, the dad, came to East Texas in his bid for Governor. There were less than seventy-five people in the room at the Republican Headquarters.
I hugged Bush and said I wanted to hug the next Governor of Texas. Of course, he never got to be Governor.
So I guess I hugged a president, not that he would remember the little kid from East Texas.
It is easy to forget how good it is for East Texas when we have two vital political parties. The discussion is good for democracy, plus having choices holds our politicians accountable.
It is easy to take for granted the kind of courage it took for Larry and a handful of others to switch to the Republican Party back in those days when even your close friends told you it was crazy.
Recognizing that lively political discussions are part of our heritage seems like a fitting way to honor a man who served Smith County as County Judge for 16 years.
Personally, as a woman, I think it speaks well of a husband when he exits this world right behind his wife.
That might sound a little callous to some folks, but I think Larry would get the humor of my perspective. I’ll sure miss him.

Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, exercises her right to vote while singing the Star Spangled Banner in every election right here in beautiful East Texas. Comments are welcome at CaeKrafve2@aol.com.