Recalling a Rutledge family member
Published 12:00 am Friday, March 17, 2006
Amid the smiles and the tears, Monday evening's Rutledge Town Council meeting was set aside to honor a man who was like a family member to the community, Mr. John Ensley Searight, affectionately known as “Big John.”
“We want to honor a man tonight who has been a part of our town family for the last 15 years,” Rutledge Mayor Joe Dexter Flynn said to the large gathering of family, friends and loved ones of Mr. Searight. “There are no words to say what John has meant to this town and to me personally.”
Flynn said that “Big John,” who was the Street Supervisor for the town of Rutledge, was a man whom “we can pattern our lives after.”
“He showed up for work every day ready to make Rutledge a better place,” the mayor said.
Flynn explained that Searight had a successful street cleaning and recycling program for the town.
“I got to know him not just as an employee, but as a friend,” Flynn said.
Rita Brown, of the Rutledge Town Council, echoed the mayor's sentiments.
“Mr. John was family,” she said. “He was a well-respected and well-loved person, and we miss him. He always had a smile for you.”
Mr. Searight was born Jan. 30, 1938, and passed away Jan. 12, 2006. He was a lifelong resident of Crenshaw County. He and his wife, Delex Payne Searight, were married for 48 years and have three children and three grandchildren.
“This has meant so much to us and to me personally,” Mrs. Searight said. “John loved working for the city. They loved him, and he loved them, too.”
Mayor Flynn said that it was “selfish” on the town's part to want “Big John” back, but he knew “he was in a better place.”
“I truly believe that John was a Christian man,” he said. “Even though we'll have to hire someone else, no one will ever fill his shoes. He could never be ‘replaced.'”
Co-workers, friends, council members and family members took turns remembering Mr. Searight. Several memories included some humorous times.
“John didn't want anyone else to drive his truck, that's for sure,” the mayor said, laughing.
Mayor Flynn presented Mrs. Searight with a beautiful plaque dedicated to the honor and memory of her husband by the mayor, the Rutledge Town Council and the Town of Rutledge.
“A copy of this plaque will hang in the Town Hall,” Brown said.