That was the youngest 92 i have ever seen. Being Irish we celebrate life and not death. I have such fond memories of Elbert. I would be out walking our dog Sammy and as I passed Elbert's I would hear "Crash ...have time for a beer". Of course i always had time for Elbert.
One time I was in his part of the house and he said "Hey Crash... how about some moonshine". I thought he was kidding. He opened up his fridge and pulled out a mason jar. Opened the lid and took a whiff and it vaporized the hair in my nose. It is the first time i passed on a drink since i was 14.
He proceeded to tell me stories about NASCAR before NASCAR. He would tell me about his times with Jr. Johnson's dad and running moonshine. It was like watching the History Channel live.
Elbert was a very special person. I am not a big fan of smoking since it took my mom way too early but I would always enjoy seeing Elbert out there taking a puff and enjoying life. He proved for that for some people you can smoke and drink and live to be 90.
Elbert my friend - you won the game of life and part of winning is leaving these kinds of memories behind so that when people think of you a smile takes over.
I hope you get the bar stool in heaven next to my mom.
Crash
