Dear Editor,
In the interest of correcting the historical record I would like to address the error in the obituary for my uncle published in yesterday's Martinsville Bulletin.
Among the pall bearers listed as carrying my uncle to his final rest was one Freeman Adkins. Since no doubt years from now my uncles four grandchildren will be scratching their heads wondering who Freeman Adkins was, there should be a foot note to explain that there is no such person. Additionally said non existant person should not be confused with myself. I was in fact offered the honor of being a pall bearer but had to decline due to extenuating circumstances. Exactly how this Freeman Adkins came to be is beyond my willingness to speculate.
But feel free to assign this newly created identity, to all the unattributed predilections of various relatives whose names you cannot quite recall. Welcome Freeman as the catchall relative with the vague facial features, the trickster who is always lurking to drop some ice down grandmas back when the group photo is taken, the one who failed to pick up Junior from ball practice and he had to walk home. No need for him to go to waste.
Sincerely,
Truman Adkins
Fieldale, Virginia