Simply Put-Dec. 4, 2008

"County Loses Big Sports Fan "
With the sudden passing of Ed Revell (see front page), Jackson County has lost one of our biggest sports fans. My path has crossed the path of Ed’s many times throughout my life and he certainly ranks among the top supporters of local athletics in the last 50 years.
I grew up playing sports with his son Steve and always remember Ed being around. He coached a lot during the early days and then served as one of the key men of the numerous booster clubs endeavors that supported our teams. Since Steve and I were in the same grade, I’m pretty certain that Ed saw every game we ever played and was at almost as many practices.
My association with Ed and local sports moved to a different level 18 years ago when I began covering Marianna sports on the radio. As I later added writing sports for the local paper, that association grew even more frequent. You see, during much of the past 18 years Marianna High was blessed with a trio of outstanding athletes by the names of Jake, Jeff and Jill Mathis. They are the children of Ed’s daughter Bunnee and son-in-law Danny Mathis. You won’t find a finer family around and for my money, Jeff or "Pup" as we called him, is the best all around athlete to ever wear the purple and gold of the Bulldogs.
Ed absolutely loved to follow his grandkids teams and he supported those programs with his attendance, hard work and finances. While a Farm Bureau agent he was one of our regular sponsors for Bulldog athletics on the radio.
The news of his passing took me by complete surprise for just two days before he passed away I had seen Ed. Both of us happened to stop in at McCoys to purchase a bag of oysters (we agreed that no winter holiday would be complete without oysters). There happened to be a long line of other folks with the same idea, so Ed and I chatted for 15-20 minutes while we waited. There were the usual inquiries about each other’s families. I commented how proud us Marianna folks felt every time we turned on the television and watched Pup play for the Los Angeles Angels.
As our chat drew near to a close Ed made a comment that now seems almost prophetic. He said "You know Clint, all our kids and grandkids have turned out really great. I’m so fortunate and I have truly been blessed with a wonderful life." We loaded up our oysters and wished each other a happy thanksgiving. Two days later Ed was gone.
Many folks have a lifetime of heartaches and headaches. Simply Put, we’d all be so fortunate to live a full life like Ed Revell and conclude that life by being able to say that we have truly been blessed with a wonderful life.

From the front porch: Uncle Bob said you have to wonder about folks who think God is dead and Elvis is alive.