Friday, January 17, 2003
Friday, January 17, 2003 |
| Reflections
on the passing of a good man, a neighbor, and a friend
By DAVID EPPS I was saddened to read this week that John Bottoms, 91, passed away. I first met Mr. Bottoms, who was a retired rear admiral with the United States Navy, in June 1983 when my family and I moved to Peachtree City. I was 32 at the time, my wife a bit younger, when we moved in next door to John Bottoms and Ruth. At the time our three sons were 11, 9, and 2. John and Ruth welcomed us to the city warmly and did not seem to be the least bit troubled that this young minister and his pack of boys were next door. Although the youngest son was too little to have much to do with our neighbors, the older boys seemed to find ways to intrude into the neighbor's yard. They didn't know what a rear admiral was but they knew it was something important and, above all, cool. They liked and respected John Bottoms. Once, Mr. Bottoms came next door to our home to report that my middle son was a hero. "A hero?" I inquired. "Why?" He said that a fire had started in his back yard and that my son had run to his door to alert him to the danger. Mr. Bottoms and my son put the fire out and he bragged that my son had done a fine thing. I'm pretty certain that he knew that my son had been playing with matches and started the fire in his back yard but he never let on. In fact, I didn't know the truth (though I had long been suspicious) until some 15 years later when my son finally confessed. Mr. Bottoms would often be working in his yard with one of my kids would wander over to see what he was doing and to ask questions. He never seemed to mind the intrusion and always had something to say that made them feel welcome. I don't know why the kids were so taken with him. Perhaps it was because they were far away from their own grandparents and yearned for the company of someone of that genre. Perhaps, it was because he was a retired military officer who had served his country faithfully. To these young boys, he was an American hero. Why did he take the time to talk to them, this leader of men and ships? I don't know the answer to that question either, but I'm glad he did. We had just been in Colorado for three years and the move to Georgia was difficult for my sons. They left behind their school, their friends, and their church. Here we were in a new dwelling, in a new community, and beginning work in a new church. The place where we lived had a large parking lot for bikes and skateboards, there were basketball goals, and we had access to a swimming pool. But John and Ruth provided something special for the short time we lived next door to them. They were good neighbors and they were good to my small children. In the spring of 1984, one of my sons was run over by a car. It was a true accident with no one at fault. It was just one of those things that happen sometimes. Immediately Mrs. Bottoms was at our door, distraught at the possibility that he was hurt badly. They both inquired about him often and he eventually recovered fully. We moved away to another neighborhood a few months after the accident and lost contact with the admiral and his wife. I don't know much about the military career of John Bottoms, although I am certain that it is honorable and heroic. If I remember correctly, he was a graduate of the Naval Academy and, from there, enjoyed a long and illustrious career. They don't give medals for being nice to small children who look up to military men. If they did, I'm sure that John Bottoms would have been awarded several. Father Dan Brigham, rector of St. Andrew's-in-the-Pines Episcopal Church prayed the final prayers and spoke the final words over John Bottoms as he commended his soul to God. May God richly bless him for his contributions and his sacrifices. And may God bless him for his kindness and in the case of my son who started the fire for his mercy. [Father David Epps is rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church, which meets at 10 a.m. Sundays at 4881 E. Hwy 34. He may be contacted at 770-252-2428, at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com or at www.ctkcec.org.]
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