Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Regrets

Mr. Joe, that's what we called him, and so did everyone else I knew. He had a wicked limp, no doubt from a farming accident, but no one ever asked. He seemed old as the hills to a 20 year old in the mid 80's. Always wore a straw 'safari' hat. Us lads, living down the dirt road from him, helped them at his place whenever he asked moving things around etc(strong backs).

His wife, Ms. Susie (we all called her Mrs. Joe) always seemed to be baking cakes and sending them to us. Lord I can't remember a month that went by when we weren't eating something that Mrs. Joe didn't bake for us. If you can remember when you were 20, food was better than money.

We fished in his pond, caught lots of nice bass there. He was SALT of the earth and the true definition of a southern gentleman.

I regret not spending more time getting to know him, listening to his stories. Such is life of a 20 year old. You don't know when you are young the impact that older folks are making on you.

God bless you Mr. Joe and your lovely wife. Mrs. Joe died 11 years prior to his death and I hate that for him. They were married for 57 years. I know everyone has a Mr. Joe, but they world could use more of them.


"Joseph A. "Joe" Livingston, 93, of Malone, died April 29, 2008 at the Medical Center in Dothan. Mr. Joe was the seventh child born February 19, 1915 in Conway, FL to the late Charles Hanna Livingston and Martha Jane Parks Livingston. He lived most of his life in Malone, where he was a longtime member of Friendship Baptist Church. Preceded in death by his wife, Susie Culpepper Livingston; three sisters; three brothers. Survivors include his son John Livingston and wife Dorothy of Hartford, AL; his daughter, Martha Jo Prescott and husband Charles of Tallahassee; one step-son, Walter Kirkland and wife Ethel Lynn; one step-daughter, Paula Mansell, all of Columbus, GA.; one sister, Elon Virginia McIntyre of Tallahassee; three grandchildren; several nieces and nephews. "

May Joe rest in piece.

A gentleman from a different era.
RIP, sir.

There was just three of us boys in the little close knit community where I grew up. We had the run of the entire area. If there was a place to pitch a tent, we camped there. If there was a pond we fished it. Nobody ever thought to ask. It was just taken for granted that we could and nobody cared.

If I have regrets about it, it's that I didn't show more appreciation.

But we were just kids.

RIP, Joe. May GOD be with you. Amen.

Nice post and reminder to all of us, RemModel8.

I have similar regrets, some for letting friends my age slip away, many for not spending more time with older folks.

R.I.P. Mr Joe.

I do have regrets about it. I didn’t show the appreciation that I should have. I wasn’t emotionally attuned like I should have been. Standing knee deep in the river and dying of thirst. I was flat wrong.

Agreed. Very much.

I had a library copy of Tom Sawyer, my grandfather asked to read it when I was done. I forgot, and took it back to the library

Of course he could have easily .checked it out himself.

The problem with little boys of today is that they have no place or opportunity to just be little boys.

Many of us here at The Campfire are and were so blessed.

They do, but not like the 'old days'.


Lots of kids of done kid stuff on our place, with not a word of protest from me.

Yes. For sure. I wish I knew my Grandfather better. But he was off in Iowa, as I was growing up, and we were overseas pretty much. So visits were few and far between. An inventer, he was always tinkering on something, which he passed on to me - at least the curiosity part for how things worked - although I don't posses nearly his skills. He was an engineer for the Burlington Northern Railroad. Homesteaded in Custer Montana, then moved back to Iowa after his sod house got burned to the ground in a lightning storm. Later in life hunted elk out west, and deer in Iowa. Farmed corn mostly. Passed in 1977. What a guy.

Good on ya, Rem.

Youngsters of friends and relatives come to my place from time to time when school is out. They drive the scchitt out of the rubicon and the big red, get scratched up, trap a few squirrels, shoot the air rifle and the.22 and the AR. BBQ, etc. They gang up like a bunch of puppies upstairs in the room I’ve labeled as “The Bull Pen”, watch tv all night,,,just being kids. Takes 2 days to reset everything after they’ve gone.

Time well spent and those are the old uncles and friends of Dad’s that I remember fondly.

Little boys and little girls need a good role model for being a man. Also, they both need a good role model for being a woman.

Guilty as charged for not paying attention to elders who were excellent role models.

I think we all have regrets. I have many. If I could go back the main thing I would change is me. I would be a better person.

Only one so far is the fact that i was not home with my father before he died.

The folks at the hospital told everyone that he was doing good,till he wasn't.

I took in a lot from the older generations that I was exposed to. There are a few that I didn’t take advantage of, and that bothers me to this day. As a result, I constantly remind my kids to take quality time to get to know the older folks in their lives. You can’t put a price tag on the influence gained by exposure to quality people of an older generation.

Yeah an acknowledgement might have been worth something.

But to an old gentleman, who knew what was what...........seeing a kid smile, bet it was all that was needed.

Today's BS social media and other.......letting some kids fish camp or hunt...........the getting em back to better times..........may be priceless.

For all involved.


Here's to a great fall and everybody having some good clean fun

I regret not taking more risks on a couple things, and taking too much on others.
Just part of learning I guess.

Been pretty straight laced and goody two shoes really, sure as fugg aint paid off on this rock.
But I sleep OK with it.