Yesterday Truett and I lost a dear friend, especially Truett. William Haley passed away and left a void in Truett's heart and in mine. We used to meet Bill at the Florida/Georgia football games soon after Truett joined the Lion's Club of Lake City. That's when their bantering began.
Even though Bill and Truett are of different political persuasions, it did not stop them from becoming good friends. Bill and friends would visit Truett at the hospital over the past two years and all hell would break loose. "You loser! Get out of that bed! You've got work to do!" Or... "Get these idiots out of my room! They're nothing but trouble, and don't touch the nurses either!"
These older men had almost nothing but words left. Last month Bill Haley drove to Fort White to pick Truett up to take him to Lion's Club. He was weak...very weak and had a friend help him drive Truett home. He had his Lion Club buddies push Truett up the steep ramp at the Lake City Country Club because Bill couldn't physically do it.
Soon after, Bill Haley was hospitalized and shifted from Shands Hospital in Gainesville to Shands at Lake Shore in Lake City and then on to North Florida Regional in Gainesville. Truett and I visited him about three weeks ago. Of course Bill yelled to the nurses, "Get this man out of my room! He's a nuisance!" That's when I explained that these guys were good friends, so she let us stay.
Truett and I will miss you Bill Haley. You have meant the world to Truett. . . and to me!
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