On this Independence Day, I have set aside bad news of
missing children to honor a man described as a father to all.
Andrew Samuel
Griffith
June 1, 1926 – July
3, 2012
Andy Griffith is best known for his homespun wit and wisdom
as Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry. He was a great example of a widower, a single
father to Opie (Ron Howard), who lived with Aunt Bee. A sheriff who shunned
guns, he tolerated his gun-toting sidekick Barney Fife (Don Knotts). All the Mayberry characters, in jail and out,
were familiar faces. Griffith made millions happy, transporting families into a
make believe world of peace and contentment where he diffused situations with
common sense.
But that was fiction, you say. What was he really like? I
never met him, but I’ve followed his real life efforts of putting others first.
On July 3, 2012 Griffith achieved another milestone in his humble journey when
he departed this life about seven a.m. Before noon he was laid to rest in an
undisclosed location on Roanoke Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. No
paparazzi, no CNN coverage, no fans walking a marked trail to say goodbye to
their hometown hero. He left a legacy of letting others shine.
The life of Andy Griffith is displayed by his friend, Emmett
Forrest, in the Andy Griffith Museum in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
