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Just south of Williamston lies an area called Farm Life. People teach values there, you won’t hear no or yes rather, yes sir and no sir! They teach the importance of values and if you don’t teach values in school, the parents will come see you. The people of Farm Life lost a valuable member of that community, Linda Tice, the wife of Kirk Tice.

Together they raised two children, Kristie and Hank. Hank played for me and after graduating from ECU he was an assistant coach on four Riverside teams that made state championship appearances. I never had a problem with Hank because he was from Farm Life. Kristie was in the band and after college became a teacher like her brother. Like their parents, I am so proud of them.

The late Linda Tice never met a stranger! She worked in the concession stand at every baseball game and never missed a band competition that Kristie was in nor an athletic event that Hank played or coached in. She was a remarkable Mother. She never missed a program that her grandchildren were in; that’s how good she was. Like the salt of the earth, her home was open to anyone. There wasn’t a hobo that needed a meal in Farm Life who didn’t get one and I at sat her table more than once. It was that good.

After visiting Linda, you came away feeling better about yourself. Over 20 plus years of cancer, she always stayed upbeat and was always willing to help someone out. The greatest story I heard while talking with Kirk was that she fed each visiting team two hotdogs and bag of potato chips because she didn’t want to see those boys go home hungry.

Linda, despite her athletic inability, saw probably every facility in the state. She was a good mother and she will be missed by many. They should name the concession stand at the Riverside baseball field after Linda Tice. That is how sweet a person she was and I will miss her.

They were the best of times with the best of friends and in the best of places, Washington, NC. The Original Washington!

Harold Jr.