Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Four years ago, I met Bill Shackleford and began to learn the measure of a man of many faces. The look on his face when he saw the poorly constructed dollhouse I brought him to reconstruct! He took charge and turned it into a work of art. He rebuilt wooden ship models that had deteriorated over the years. People could not believe what transformations he made.

Bill filled bird feeders, tended the courtyard animals and let me know when the hummingbirds were ready to arrive each spring. You could tell that he had special places in his heart for others and proved it each day. I can honestly say that my life has been changed because of Bill and, from the things others say, their lives have become better, too.

My earnest hope is that Bill is aware of the positive impact he made on people’s lives during the last four years.

Sail on, Bill Shackleford.

Richard Miles

Mathews, Va. ...