A first cousin on my maternal (Marcum) side of the family recently passed away. Memories flooded into my mind when I received a text from his son Mike that he was gone. Actually, I sat down and cried for a while for there were so many good memories that I had of “Billy” as he was called in years past.

He was my Aunt Annie’s son. And they lived in the South End of Louisville near the Churchill Downs Racetrack. We were in walking distance of each other, and I went to their house on foot at least once a week.

When Billy went off to school at Campbellsville College, I remember helping him with an assignment—drawing and coloring in some part of the world on a roller shade. Can you imagine! Ha! Ha!

And I think of other times when Billy welcomed my protecting his sister Dorothy when we would walk down Taylor Boulevard to go to the A & P Super Market and other stores in that shopping strip. She was hard of hearing, and although I was much younger than she was, Billy thought I would protect her and see that she got safely back home.

In later years “Billy” became “Bill,” a fine Christian man. We sang a duet together in his church, St. Matthews Baptist once. He was supposed to carry the lead and I was to sing alto. Somehow he got off the melody. I really don’t know why that happened as he was a regular choir member. I quickly took over the lead. I can’t recall if we later switched back or not. But I have a copy somewhere of the recording of the two of us singing together. And I do remember that Bill was really proud of that recording!

I also remember summer Marcum family and friends’ picnics on the first level of Iroquois Park; I was a little girl then (he was about nine years older) and Billy was a handsome young man.

If you’ve read this far and have been wondering when I was going to get around to the unexpected special Thanksgiving, it is right now! When I got into high school at Manual and before I had a boyfriend, Billy decided he was going to take me to the Thanksgiving Day football game—Manual vs rival Male. He bought me a corsage and treated me as a date. Was that not sweet? It tells you about the kind of person he was with a deeply caring heart for others.

Dear Billy, I cry for my loss, but I rejoice that you are singing in the Master’s Choir and have probably already found a sandy beach to stroll upon.

Remembering a Dear Cousin
Connie Carlisle Polley, 2023
ConnieCarlislePolley.com
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