Shelby County suffered a great loss Monday with the passing of Milton Bird. Known as &uot;Skillet&uot; to friends and family alike, the enormity of this loss cannot be adequately conveyed with words.

Skillet’s column has appeared each week in the pages of this newspaper since 1931.

Through those columns, Skillet captured the history of this county for the better part of the 20th century.

Skillet treasured the opportunity to write about folks and things, as he called it, almost as much as we enjoyed reading about them through his columns.

The newspaper was an outlet for his love of writing and passion for his fellow man.

But Skillet had other outlets for expressing his genuine interest in others &045; one newspaper was not enough.

Citizens of this county have benefited from his unlimited good works and his personal example of caring for people and things others might have overlooked.

Skillet never did.

He always had a pocket full of candy ready to share and a smile that could light up the room.

Although reluctant to accept praise, Skillet was honored in 1992 by former President George Bush as one of the nation’s Thousand Points of Light.

He shared that light for 94 years with the people of Shelby County.

A teacher, a writer, a veteran, a giving citizen of Shelby County, and a friend to all.

Skillet created countless cherished memories through his life and deeds.

Those memories and the impact of Skillet’s life cast a legacy of a life well lived