A Salute to a Long Time Customer
I must say a final good-by to a long time customer who passed away earlier this month (May 2009) of a heart attack. It will be brief and to the point, just as he was.
He came in the awards shop after Cross Country in the fall and Track & Field in the spring, always prepared with his typed list of top athletes receiving awards, and a box full of perpetual trophies and plaques to be engraved.
About 5 years ago, he came in looking very ill – he was so very thin – I knew something had to be terribly wrong. When I sincerely asked him how he was, he said “Fine!” rather gruffly. I never asked again about his health, although I learned later that he was fighting, and beating throat cancer.
It was interesting how much he told you without saying a lot. He was always upbeat about the athletes and always looking forward to more good seasons in the future. In more recent times, he would pay for the awards himself, noting only in passing, that the budget was tight.
And so, I salute you DeWayne Cantrall, for 33 years of teaching and coaching, for always being so positive, and for being a good person.
I still expect him to walk in the door to order his Track & Field awards. If I could ask him how he’s doing in the great beyond, he would say, “Fine!”