strangers, especially children, were
delighted and drawn into conversation
by his strange display. Since the first
two gifts from his children, William’s
collection now includes seven goats,
two dogs, a duck with three ducklings,
a pig, and a rooster. “Not long ago, I
had a dad run me down in town to ask
if I would bring it to his son’s birthday
party. His son’s favorite book was Little
Blue Truck, which was the theme of the
party.” Since then, William has his own
copy of the fun little cardboard book
by Alice Schertle. The picture on the
front shows an old blue pick-up filled
with farm animals.
As much as William enjoys these
brief connections in the community,
the most challenging part of
retirement has been the loss of daily
connection with friends that a work
environment afforded. To compensate,
he would drive the old blue truck down
to Tammy’s Convenience Store, often
arriving just as the doors were opened
at 6:00 a.m., to chat with regulars
like Garrett Wilcox, Tim Quigley, and
Jimmy Davis as they stopped in for
coffee on their way to work.
On Wednesdays, William started
spending lunchtime with the guys
at Vidalia Muffler and Brake Shop.
“I got to know these guys from
bringing stuff to be worked on when
I was in the lawn business. They all
like to fish. Sometimes we’d fry the
fish they caught up at their shop on
Wednesdays. When we didn’t have
fish, we just grabbed some hot dogs
and threw them on the grill,” which is
how the ritual got the name “Weiner
Wednesdays.” During COVID, William’s
interaction with his friends greatly
suffered. But since getting vaccinated,
he’s been able to resume some of his
former activities in the community.
“We fried fish together about a month
ago for the first time since this virus
shut things down.”
When William’s cell phone rang,
it was a bit of a jolt to think that this
same man carries within him the
memory of life with no electricity or
running water. The one thing I could
see that has never changed for William
King is the value he has for family,
both past and present. In October, he
and his wife Jeannine will celebrate
their fifty-ninth wedding anniversary.
Only recently, William proudly
ABOVE In addition to the metal goats he hauls
around, William has Tennessee fainting goats.
BELOW William has always been active in the
community and was involved in the Lions Club
for many years.
HOMETOWN LIVING AT I TS BEST 89