Madison Cawthorn: “I was raised with one brother. But I truly felt like I had dozens and dozens of siblings. You see, my cousins and I grew…”

“I was raised with one brother. But I truly felt like I had dozens and dozens of siblings. You see, my cousins and I grew up a little differently than most families. We had a patriarch of our family who made sure that multiple times a year we all got together for a big hoorah. Fourth of July, kids' week, Christmas, many of my favorite memories in my entire life stem from the times we all gathered at the mountain house. Wayne Smith, my great uncle, taught us, the way to be truly wealthy was to have a strong family. Pappaw passed away on January 10. He was about to celebrate 63 years of marriage. He was able to touch people's souls with the way he talked. He would skip classes in high school so that he could work, yet still managed to be one of the wisest men I have ever known. He taught all of his grandsons how to drive a stick shift in a pickup truck he had since 1993. He made a bet with his son to quit smoking and held up his end of the bargain for 43 years. He was the original grill master in our family. He drank his coffee black or didn't drink it at all. I am very proud to say that he got to see the Braves win the World Series last season. Pappaw, we all love you so much. Thank you for imparting so much wisdom in our lives. Thank you for making sure we all grew up with endless cousins who are truly brothers and sisters now. Go Braves, and rest in peace, Wayne Calvin Smith. ____________________”