All roads lead to Garfield
Jack Atkinson

It seemed to be another regular week. At church on Sunday she was in her place in the choir. Her second row pew seat was awaiting her when the choir had completed their special. Monday night as an interested citizen she graced the Town Council meeting as was her regular practice. She called to discuss some of the issues as they related to our interests. Tuesday night there as a call "What are you doing?" She had been given a deer and she wanted me to drive her to the processor.

Typical of Charlotte, I did not get a word in the entire trip. She was an animated talker. Reflecting on her life, I noted that her conversations were so detailed that I felt I attended the events she described.

Wednesday night she went to the youth meeting at the church and then on to choir practice. She left early due to indigestion or a heart attack she said. She asked for prayer before she left. She did not want to seek medical attention and went on home to take care of her dogs and cats. She had EMT training and was a medical lab professional. She had her druthers about health care and she meant to stick with her beliefs.

I was looking forward to Friday when we had some business to complete and to Saturday night when she had asked me to go with her to a friend's birthday party in Pembroke. It was to be an oyster roast and a low country boil. Charlotte seldom got excited about someone else's food. She was a real tyrant when it came to organic, nonprocessed foods. Often at church dinners or in restaurants she would eat only a piece or two of fruit.

Early Thursday morning she called her close friend Peggy Gay. She was sick and wanted help. Charlotte was always helping others and we seldom got to help her. Peggy came something after 4 a.m. She did not want to go to the hospital. Peggy got her dressed and went for Donnie to help get her in the car to take her to see her trusted doctor. A few minutes later when they returned to take her to the hospital, she was gone. Vibrant! Health conscious! Happy! Who could believe this?

By week's end her family had arrived from California and Massachusetts and New York. Charlotte who was sharp on details had it all planned. There was a visitation at the funeral home in Metter and burial after the funeral in her lot in the Hebron Cemetery in Garfield.

It was a real love affair. How could a person pick a small Georgia town from everywhere else in the world? This was a little over a decade ago. It seems as though if one is willing to try, to step out, to get involved, one can adopt or be adopted by a community. Ask the folks at the animal shelter where their washer and dryer came from. Ask the physical therapy patients at Candler Hospital where their equipment came from? Ask the youth of her Garfield church who taught them and who got them special T-shirts? Ask countless others whom she had helped, often anonymously, how they made it. The answer would be through the encouragement and help of Charlotte Cahill.

Her funeral service was unusual. The family wanted anyone who wanted to speak about Charlotte to do so. Our mayor gave a glimpse as to what she had meant to the community and her regular involvement in our community life. Judy Phillips spoke about what she had meant to her small church and to her personally. Bill Cahill summarized 38 years of knowing Charlotte. He identified the Charlotte we all knew - a reserve deputy sheriff, a marksman, a medical professional, and a resourceful and meticulous person. He explained why she always wore a NY Fire Department pin. She had two friends of many years who died in 9/11.

It was fitting that two chiefs of police headed the pall bearers. The funeral procession went through Metter and Twin City. Upon arrival in Garfield one fire engine marked the turn off Highway 23. At the top of the hill another fire engine marked the turn to the Hebron Cemetery. At the entrance was Engine #1. All these pieces of equipment were accompanied by a saluting member of the Garfield Volunteer Fire Department. All of this was to honor Citizen Charlotte Cahill as she was laid to rest in Garfield soil. The memories are alive, the tales go on. The gathering of friends and family at the Methodist Church social hall continued until 6 p.m.

We welcomed a New Hampshire native and she accepted us. The sign on the highway next to her church reads - "Ms. Charlotte, we miss you!"--Jack Atkinson is a guest columnist and resident of Garfield.

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