JAMES B. "BUDDY" MARLOW, SR. If anybody ever loved Lincolnton, it was Mr. James B. "Buddy" Marlow, Sr.

Mr. Buddy passed away Friday, October 17, at Trinity Hospital in Augusta. He was 74.

Born in Wilkes County, both of Mr. Buddy's parents had died by the time he was eight. It was then that he moved to Lincoln County to live with his Uncle Carl and Aunt Nell (Hopkins). He was still residing in his boyhood home at the time of his death.

Immediately following graduation from Lincolnton High School, Mr. Buddy joined the United States Navy, serving during the Korean War.

On a side note, it should be mentioned that for a long time, Mr. Buddy was not allowed to park in the high school parking lot because Mr. Tracy Fortson, a teacher at the school, had caught him riding his motorcycle up and down the halls.

Nevertheless, it wasn't long after he returned home from the Navy that he was smitten by Miss LaVina Glaze. He met the love of his life at the 378 Drive-In, where she worked after cheering for the Red Devils on Friday nights.

When Mr. Buddy was growing up, he was the Glazes' paper boy, making his deliveries on a motorcycle. If the two met during that time, it didn't count.

After spotting Miss LaVina

at the 378 Drive-In, Mr. Buddy suddenly began eating a lot of vanilla ice cream, his favorite.

However, when he picked up his future wife for their first date, he didn't bring her ice cream or flowers but a huge box of Tootsie Pops. Miss LaVina still has one tucked away in a drawer.

The couple married on September 9, 1956, and over the years, became the proud parents of three boys, James, Jr., Stoy, and Floyd, and eight grandchildren.

The foundations of Mr. Buddy's philosophy of life were love and time. He loved God, his family, and his community, and put that love into action by giving of his time in what became a life of exemplary service.

Mr. Buddy was a humble man, wearing a lot of hats but never a crown. He was an electrician in the textile industry; an insurance agent; a truck driver, delivering Frito-Lay products for Mr. Bill Crawford; an appliance assembly man for Mr. Gyp Smalley; a farmer; a cattleman; and a water plant operator for the City of Lincolnton until his retirement in 2001.

When he wasn't working, he served as the scout master for Boy Scout Troup #23. It is said that Mr. Buddy taught more children how to ride motorcycles and go-carts than anybody else in the county. He made an effort to include the children standing on the fringes, and a stranger never entered the Marlow home. His gift to his children and his community was his time.

In addition to working with the Boy Scouts, Mr. Buddy was the mayor of Lincolnton for two terms, a city councilman, past president of the Jaycees, and a member of the Lincolnton Volunteer Fire Department, the Lincoln County Civil Defense Unit, the CSRA Regional Development Center Board of Directors, American Legion Post 194, and Lincolnton Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher.

Mr. Buddy was also a founding member of the Lincoln County Historical Society, serving as president and as a dedicated member of the Wednesday work crew at the historical park. In fact, he and Miss LaVina were recipients of the organization's 2004 Citizenship Award.

Along with history, Mr. Buddy was a racing fanatic - - it didn't matter what kind. He was front and center at the first race held at the "new" track in Daytona.

A well-read man, with a love for learning and a photographic memory, he found joy in sharing what he knew with others.

But in spite of all of his accomplishments, Mr. Buddy was never one for the limelight -- he simply did whatever he saw needed doing. He was a good, kind, honest man, raised on hard work and doing his best at whatever he set his hand to.

His life was a testament to the fact that Lincolnton was his favorite place on earth.

The man, who loved tomato sandwiches and gravy on cornbread, will be greatly missed. The community is somehow a little less because of his passing.

Regular obituary information appears on page 2.