Cenizo Journal Fall 2018 | Page 17

In Praise of the Nicest Man You Would Ever Know by Lonn Taylor S tory teller, exceptional writer and Cenizo contributor Perry Cozzen died June 28, 2018. We will miss him. Perry Cozzen was the nicest man you would ever know. He was kind, caring, thoughtful, and generous. He was slightly old-fashioned in a courtly sort of way. He stood up when ladies came into the room, pulled their chairs out for them at tables, and took his hat off when he sat down to eat. He was a small man, slightly bent over but infused with wiry strength, honed by moving irrigation pipe on his family’s cotton farm near Lamesa every morning before breakfast in his adolescent years. What we will all remem- ber about him was his smile. It covered his whole face, crinkled his cheeks, lit up his eyes, and wrin- kled his forehead. It was often accompanied by a contagious, cackling laugh. Perry Cozzen was a happy man, and it made people happy just to be around him. by Lonn Taylor, for the Big Bend Sentinel Hebert’ s Heirlooms & Resale Antiques & Collectibles Old & New Eve’s Garden 1250 N. State Street Fort Davis 432-426-3141 432.386.4165 hebertsheirlooms@yahoo.com Bed and Breakfast Ave C & N 3rd • Marathon, TX info@evesgarden.org www.evesgarden.org Shop Alpine Farmer’s Market Every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. on historic Murphy St. (just East of 5th Street). Get fresh veggies all year plus baked goods, crafts and more! Photo by C aleb Jagger Cenizo Fourth Quarter 2018 17