Robert Cound

How do you capture the essence of a human being in 3000 words or less? For Robert "Gerald" Cound, aka Roadrunner, Coach, Dad, Granddad, Grandpa Gerald, GC, he'd say, For Me? Easy. Write, He was born August 9th, 1940 to Lue Rhea Stuart and Elijah J. Cound in El Paso, TX, raised in the "tri-cities" of Grannis, Gillam, and De Queen, Arkansas, developed a love for nature (even in the chicken muck he caught chickens in every night), a passion for running (whether chasing chickens, or running the roads before it was cool, or breezing past competitors on the track or basketball court or baseball or soccer fields...), and a passion for people. All people. Except people who intentionally hurt others by treating them as "less than."

Also, write about my loves, my first wife Bitsy Spinks Cound who left us all too young, my fierce warrior-child, Jerry Dale Cound who lived life to the fullest for 25 years, with 2 heart transplants, and whose life's motto, "Life is too short for ski school," I tried to adopt. Tell people about my strong, forthright son, Mike Cound (former wife, Cindy), Acworth, GA who kept me humble, and my beautiful, giving, forgiving daughter, Chela Sipes (Steve), Bradenton, FL who exemplifies her name's meaning of Grace. My later children by marriage have embraced me unconditionally, Barry Becton (Mary), Alexandria, VA, Amanda Becton Mcclusky (Joe), Memphis, TN, and Jesse Becton (Stephanie), Little Rock, AR. They have enriched my life.

Write about my wonderful and steadfast siblings who remain my ardent supporters, Charlotte Wheeler, Kingsland, Tx, Roxie Erwin, Surprise, AZ, Brenda Wishard, DeQueen, AR, and Karen Mills, DeQueen, AR. Remind people of the most wonderful brother I could have asked for who left this world all too early, Kenneth Cound, Phoenix, AZ, and my brother Dover Cound, Reno, NV, whom I never had a chance to know well enough. And do not neglect to mention my sisters-in-law, Barbara Spinks Scherberger (John), Spartanburg, SC, Sandra Elliott Jones, Mt. Vernon, IL and Janice Elliott Seifert (Dave), St. Louis, MO, and my brother-in-law, Mike Elliott, Salina, KS. They, maybe more than anyone, appreciated my jokes!

Include in our family tree the grown children we were blessed to share, Catherine Bruns Boineau, Ecem Mutlu, Malik Saafir, Marquis Hunt, and Denise Yarma. And don't forget the the best nieces and nephews a man can have, both by lineage and by marriage.

And my GRANDS...here's where I'd get weepy-eyed. There's never enough time, is there? In order of arrival, DeAnne Sipes Lee (Kyung Woo), Connor Becton, Dolan and Dale Sipes, Jerry Cound, Daniel Sipes (Claire), Lee Becton, Maxwell Mcclusky, Brooks Becton, Samuel Mcclusky, Alex, Ellie May, and Blaklee Becton have filled an old man's heart to almost bursting. Tell them I wanted to leave them with a better world in which to live, though that sadly is not the case. However, I am thoroughly encouraged that they, the next generations, are fully capable and willing to redeem the poor choices their ancestors have made. Tell them they all ROCK, and I'd so love to see how they Roll in the next 75-100 years making this country and world truly great!

If you write anything more about me, please tell people that I had incredible experiences, from chicken catching to hitchhiking all around this great country, even showing up on college campuses and on-the-spot enrolling, to working in the Peace Corps in its very early days (imagine a country boy whose English was less than stellar trying to speak Venezuelan Spanish while coaching and participating in track, basketball, and baseball!). Then back in the states I had the good fortune to be mentored by remarkable men like Tom Logue with the AR Baptist Student Union, Coach Raymond Bright at University of Central Arkansas, and Dean Francis Christie at Hendrix College, to name a few.

Be sure to write that none of those experiences would have meant anything without the connection to PEOPLE. I was a wealthy man because of the wonderful individuals I had the honor to call friend. As the high maintenance woman I slept with is fond of saying, we have an embarrassment of riches in friends. They make leave-taking difficult, because I wanted one more conversation with each.

Please write that whether they were from my childhood, my college days in Wilburton, OK, Conway, AR, or grad school in Albuquerque, NM, teaching on the Navajo Nation Res in Crown Point, NM, Hendrix College students and my beloved track teams, or the wonderful people at Camp Ozark, the incredible folks with Systematics, ALLTEL, Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, Heifer International, Camp Aldersgate, Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center, AR Foodbank, or the North Little Rock School District, they left their mark. So many wonderful people in my life, every step of the way.

That's what I'd write. And, no, I didn't forget you, Sharon Elliott Cound. I am so grateful we found each other 29 years ago (thank you, Kathryn!), truly, you feel like home again. And to my most loyal of companions, Grey-Boy. What joy.

(Many years granted, many, many friends gained. You know who you are.)

A Celebration of Gerald's life will be held Saturday, February 15th at 3 in the afternoon at 1151 James Blvd. on Signal Mountain, the place he called home the last 6 years. A community that welcomed him with open arms and where he developed some of the deepest personal connections of his life, Signal Mountain afforded him the opportunity to run wild with his passion for artistic landscaping. (Suggestion: carpool or park at the library)

A second Celebration of Gerald's life will be held in Little Rock, AR, March 1, from 2-4 p.m. at Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center, Evergreen Hall, 1720 Ferncliff Rd. Lodging is available on site.

(With so much hurting in our world, if you feel led, please contribute to a worthy charity in his memory.)