So long, Goober… and, thanks for the memories.

The story of an Alabama man who made good, and gave back significantly to his home state.

This line of his will get you started: “We were so poor that we’d eat beans for breakfast, drink water for lunch and swell up for supper.”

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George “Goober” Lindsey dead at 83

Posted: May 06, 2012 10:37 AM CDT
Updated: May 06, 2012 12:33 PM CDT
Posted by Micca Terrell

Alabama-born & raised George Lindsey (1928-2012), famous for his role as “Goober” in the 1960’s sit-com The Andy Griffith Show

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -Actor and comedian George “Goober” Lindsey died early Sunday morning after a brief illness, according to his publicist. He was 83 years old.

Lindsey was born on December 17, 1928 in Fairfield, Alabama, and grew up in the small town of Jasper.  Sources tell Channel 4 that The Andy Griffith Show and Hee Haw star will be buried there.

Funeral arrangements are being handled Marshall Donnelly Combs Funeral Home of Nashville.

As a young boy, Lindsey’s best buddies were his dog One Spot and his pal Sappo, a lifelong friend and a popular foil for Lindsey’s stand-up comedy act. He became interested in acting after seeing a production of Oklahoma! when he was just 14.

Lindsey liked to hang around his Aunt Ethel’s gas station, where the mechanics wore felt caps to keep the grease and oil from dripping into their hair. Those caps would inspire Lindsey’s trademark “beanie” worn by Goober.

Gas station notwithstanding, the Lindsey family of George’s youth felt the full weight of the Great Depression. Those hard times were later a rich source of material for his comedy act, with jokes guaranteed to get a laugh, such as: “We were so poor that we’d eat beans for breakfast, drink water for lunch and swell up for supper.”

As a student in Jasper, Lindsey was a good athlete. At Walker County High School, he excelled in football and basketball. One of

“I never saw John Wayne on the sands of Iwo Jima.”

“The Dirty South” by the Drive-By Truckers was written from a recollection of band member Patterson Hood.

The title of this entry is a line from the 2003 song, “The Sands of Iwo Jima” on the album “The Dirty South” by the Drive-By Truckers was written from a recollection of band member Patterson Hood.

In his album commentary about this song, Patterson said: “As a kid, I spent every weekend at my Great-Uncle’s farm (my family’s old homestead) where I rode go-carts and acted out my favorite movie scenes in the woods. George A. is an amazing man (still kicking hard at 84) and I have long tried to capture a glimpse of those times in a song.”

“During World War II he was drafted and ended up on the island Iwo Jima in one of the bloodiest battles of the war. As a curious child, I’d often innocently ask him about all that. One night while watching the old John Wayne movie (The Sands Of Iwo Jima) on TV, he simply said that he “never saw John Wayne over there”.

“So many of the folks I’ve written about in this album feel forced into doing terrible things. George A. was no doubt, changed by his experience, but I know him to be easily one of the greatest men I have ever met, thus, making it a much trickier subject to write about.”

Patterson’s observations are about truth and reality, honor, dignity and service.. the giving of oneself for others esteeming them, their needs and wants greater than yours. Doubtless, we all, at one time or another, have met these unassuming quiet heroes, men whom are the backbone of our communities.

In his 1909 book Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton wrote, “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.”

Following are the lyrics to the song…

The Sands of Iwo Jima