I’m going to miss that white Buick up on the bluff. Every time I saw that Buick from Highway 280 in Birmingham, I would make a turn, pull into the restaurant parking lot and hope there would be a parking place nearby. Because inside that Buick were two of the most kind, caring people I’ve ever met. I only wish I had known them longer than the 4-plus years we were friends.

Hoover, Alabama’s James and Shirley Bailey were never much for change. Once they found something they loved, their loyalty never waned. James and Shirley met at Minor High School back in the early ‘50s, and from the get-go, it was meant to be. James was the school’s star football and baseball player, while Shirley was the can’t-miss cheerleader. They were married in 1952 — they would be together 71 years.