Thursday, March 11, 2021
I can say without reservation that George Bard is one of the finest men I have ever had the great pleasure of knowing. His children and grandchildren are a testament to the way he and his wife, Jean, nourished, loved, and cared for their family. And that caring extended to friends in Boone and around the world. George and Jean were interested in just about everything. They never failed to send me clippings of things they thought I'd find of interest. Whenever I had a project I was working on, they would provide me with research they'd done on my behalf. Often they'd lend me books from their travels. George had what my husband calls "golden hands." He was a master craftsman when it came to woodworking. And he could fix just about anything. As others have said, he and Jean were the best neighbors one could hope for. Always there, sometimes even before you knew you need them. They were also the oldest teenagers in the neighborhood – they'd stay up later than most of the rest of us. I would check to see if their light was on whenever I got up in the middle of the night. And it always was. I last saw George on Christmas Day to tell him goodbye before leaving town. When I get back to Boone, I'll look for the light even though I know it won't be on. Still, George and Jean will still be with me in my heart.
