Page 2 CLINCH VALLEY TIMES St. Paul, Va. Thursday, September 11, 2014
Of shoes..and ships..and sealing wax.. Ann Gregory
One of a kind
Reprinted from January 7, 1982
The death of an individual is meaningful to me, or to
you, only to the extent that the life of the one who is
gone touched my life, or yours. Using that premise, one
must conclude that the shocking and unexpected death
of St. Paul's Erma Wolfe on Friday morning has strong-
ly affected everyone with whom Erma came in contact
over her 81 years. Erma was not the type who could be
a "casual acquaintance." Erma's life was a force which
required all around her to pay closer attention and enjoy
their lives more intensely.
There are undoubtedly many people in Coebum who
would object to my saying "St. Paul's Erma Wolfe,"
because she was a Coebum native and lived there much
longer than she lived in St. Paul. Being the kind of per-
son she was, though, Erma became a part of her new
community immediately. Her great humanity led her to
deeds about which few people knew. She was devoted
to the elderly, and regularly shopped for, brought mail
to, and paid visits to several people who weren't able to
do these things for themselves, and who had no one else
tO do them. Erma became like family to them.
Teaching was Erma's profession, and children were
among her primary avocations, so when she retired
from the formal classroom in 1968, it's no wonder that
her teaching hardly knew there'd been an interruption.
One of my earliest memories of Erma Wolfe was during
the period shortly after her retirement. Our neighbor-
hood was fortunate enough to have her as one of its res-
idents, and one of her favorite warm summer evening
entertainments was walking. Now as everyone who
knew her is aware, there wasn't much that Erma didn't
know about wildflowers, rocks, birds, and other aspects
of nature. When she'd take her summer evening walks,
she'd start out from her house, where she lived alone,
walking by herself. After just a few steps however,
she'd have acquired a child or two who wanted to walk
with her, and by the time she got around to our house
and collected our two little ones, she had such a string
of followers she looked like the Pied Piper. Off they'd
all go, little children and big ones, attentive to every
word their "Miss" Wolfe uttered, the children totally
unaware of the fact that they were having a detailed,
specific and accurate lesson in botany, ornithology and
geology all along the route their walk happened to take
them. Sooner or later, the group circled back, carefully
" leaving each child at his own house before dark. From
then until bedtime, parents heard about the new things
their children had, seen on their latest walk with "'Miss"
Wolfe.
Erma's totalagc-Snation with nature led to the only
incident which ever threatened to mar our friendship. I
once made the terrible mistake of offering her a kitten.
I didn't know what I had done, but I knew it was bad,
because Erma's eyes widened as she said "A cat? A
CAT?" and then she went on to explain that a cat was
the last thing in the world she required because she kept
several feeding stations for wild birds in her yard. I
promised never to suggest such a thing again, and peace
was restored. I believe Erma sensed that I didn't totally
understand the relationship she maintained with her
feathered friends, so she called one day and asked me to
come to her house. I did as I was bid and spent a fasci-
nating half hour sitting in Erma's chair by the window,
looking out at a bewildering variety of birds who
perched placidly in the nearby tree at the feeders, and
some who even sat on the extra-wide windowsill where
another tray of birdseed, peanut butter, and suet rested.
By the time I left, I'd seen more kinds of birds than I
was ever aware of having seen in my whole life, and
was frankly awed at the birds' obvious understanding of
the fact that this was a haven, safely away from the
world of cold and hunger and predators. No wonder
Erma didn't want a cat!
On other visits to her house I was treated tO glimpses
of Erma's fascination with handcrafts, which she often
combined with her love of nature, producing beautiful
examples of original work. Her broad interests exclud-
ed little, and kept her life full of fascination. Every now
and then, Erma would visit here at the Clinch Valley
Times office, popping in briefly to tell us in her clear
voice with its crisp enunciation about some new person
or experience that she had to share, always making the
day brighter for all of us just by having been here.
Unselfish, always giving, seldom willing to take,
Erma left us quietly during the night of January 1 after
having spent a happy and healthy holiday with her
daughter, her son-in-law and her two beloved grand-
children. How f'me that there was no pain or lingering,
but just a peaceful departure with no fuss, which Erma
would have hated. We'll all miss her terribly. As I sat on
Monday afternoon, sadly thinking of Erma's absence, I
had a sudden, comforting thought "of her, arriving in
Heaven, saying, "Isn't this interesting!"
Sheriff's Report
Letter to Editor...
thank you from Lyric Revitalization
Committee and Cooks and Books
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Readers are invited to write letters on matters of general
interest to the public.
Letters do not necessarily reflect the philosophy or edi-
torial policy of this newspaper, which reserves the right
to edit letters. The Clinch Valley Times will not print
unsigned letters.
To the Editor,
On behalf of The Lyric
Project, we would like to
thank everyone who came
out to the Capital
Campaign Kick-off Party
on August 23. We appreci-
ate your support with t-
shirt and concession pur-
chases. We are grateful for
every single dollar that was
donated and all the dona-
tions we have been receiv-
ing. The donation schedule
published last week was
created to help us show our
appreciation to benefactors
and sponsors.
More fun events are
being planned!
Sincerely,
The Lyric Revitalization
Committee
To the Editor,
On behalf of the staff
and Friends of J. Fred
Matthews Memorial
Library and St. Paul
Tomorrow, I would like to
say Thank You to all who
purchased tickets, donated
money or time, and sup-
ported the Cooks and
Books event on July 26. It
was a very successful
fundraiser for both organi-
zations. Friends of the
Library will use these
funds for Summer
Reading, Story Time, and
various book purchases.
St. Paul Tomorrow efforts
include The Lyric Project,
Main Street, and The
Clinch River Mandolin
Festival.
Please support these
local vendors who gener-
ously donated food for the
event: Food City Dell,
C&S Catering, Lyttle Farm
of Copper Ridge, Tater
Ridge Farm, The Bread
Lady, and Clinch River
Famers Market. Thanks to
our friends from Mountain
Rose Vineyard, Coltsfoot
Winery, and Fallout Shelter
Brewery. Special thanks to
these authors who donated
their time and continue to
promote literacy: Katie
Meade, James Campbell,
Doris Musick, Linda
Hoagland, Sandy
Birchfield, Frank Kilgore,
Shannon Smith, and Larry
Lawson.
Thank you to the fol-
Virginia Bicyclist and Pedestrian
Awareness Month
lowing who generously
donated items for the silent
auction: Rita and Ronald
Porter, James and Mary
Alice Clay, Monty and
Theresa Salyer, Bailey's
Hardware, St. Paul Suites,
Mountain View Lodge,
Joan Austin, Juanita Kelly,
Doris Fletcher, St. Paul
Alumni Association, Steve
Austin, Melanie Hilton
Snyder, Frances Wall,
Catherine Gillespie,
Stanley Pest Control, Lou.
Wallace, Suzy Harrison, Ed
Salyers, Peggy Mariner,
Janie Home, Charlie
Engle, Kathy Stewart,
Connie Kessinger, Jennifer
Bailey, Friends of the
Library, Bob Harrison,
Trish Davis, Clinch River
Adventures, Becky' Burke,
and Neva Bryan.
Sincerely,
Kathy Stewart
September is Virginia Bicyclist and
Pedestrian Awareness Month and DRIVE
SMART Virginia and the Virginia
Bicycling Federation have joined forces
with the goal of making Virginia s road-
ways the safest in the nation for bicyclists,
pedestrians and motorists. This is the sixth
year for the campaign that is designed to
encourag e mutual respect on Virginia
roadways.
More people are walking, running and
riding their bikes today. When these out-
door enthusiasts are properly illuminated,
it s easier to be seen by anyone driving a
vehicle. The following are some recom-
mended safety practices for every road
user.
-See and be seen.
-Use lights and reflectors and bright
colors.
-Know the law, it works for everyone's
safety.
-Wear a helmet.
-Pay attention, don't be distracted.
Many of us are distracted when we re
driving. In fact, nearly 80% of car crashes
involve some type of distracted driving
incident. If you text and drive, you
increase your chance for a crash 23 times.
"A distracted driver is too often to blame
for injuries or even a death in a traffic
crash," said Janet Brooking, Executive
Director of DRIVE SMART Virginia.
"When motorists are focused on the road
and where they re going, everyone who
uses that road is safer."
During Virginia Bicyclist and
Pedestrian Awareness Month, bicyclists
are reminded to ride with traffic and obey
all traffic laws and signs. Those who enjoy
running and walking are encouraged to
move against traffic. Both bicyclists and
pedestrians should always wear reflective
clothing and use lights and reflectors.
"Avoidable crashes take lives and hurt
thousands of people every year. Being
smart about sharing the road helps every-
one stay safe," said Champe Bumley,
President of the Virginia Bicycling
Federation. "Let's make Virginia a better
place to live, work and play."
DRIVE SMART Virginia, founded in
1995, is a 501c3 non-profit charged with
raising awareness and changing behavior
in order to improve the safety of the road-
ways of the Commonwealth. Bike Virginia
is a 501c3, founded in 1987 to inspire
more human powered recreation and trans-
portation.
For more information please contact
Matt Smith, Public Relations and
Outreach Manager at Drive Smart Virginia
at 804/929-2988.
Valley
Times
MEMBER .........
VIRGINIA PRESS ASSOCIATION
Published vceeldy in St. Paul,
VA 24283, by the CLINCH
VALLEY PUBLISHING CO.
INC.
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The August Reading for Rewards winner at
J. Fred Matthews Library is Janie Vicars.
She received a $25.00 Shell gift card provid-
ed by the Friends of the Library. She will
now be eligible to win an ereader provided by
the Friends of the Library. The drawing for
the ereader will be held in December.
The Wise County Civil Process Served:
Sheriff's Office reports the 328 Civil •Papers
following activities for the Traffic Accidents: 4
period of 08/25/2014 7 Additional Criminal
through 08/31/2014. ' Investigations were imtiat-
Wise Central Dispatch ed and 27 Cleared by
received a total of 1,801 Arrest.
calls for this seven-day Sheriff's Office provid-
period, ed 181 man-hours of Court
Of the total calls Room Security.
received 305 were dis- Unlocked Vehicles: 18
patched to the Sheriff's Escorted Funerals: 4
Office The Sheriff's Office
Total number of Transported:
Domestic calls for this 1 Adult In State
period was 10. 4 Adults Out of State
Criminal Process for 2 Mental Patienl:s
this period: Served 29 7 Juveniles
Felony Warrants, 54 Total Transports: 14
Misdemeanor Warrants, 1 Total Transport Hours:
DUI Arrest. 93
Stop by the
J. Fred Matthews
Library in St. Paul
and visit with the
new branch
manager,
Phillip Edwards.
Subscribe to the Times!
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