{"id":131233,"date":"2023-08-10T07:43:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-10T12:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=131233"},"modified":"2023-08-09T21:52:20","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T02:52:20","slug":"the-view-from-the-balcony-the-many-hues-of-a-great-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/the-view-from-the-balcony-the-many-hues-of-a-great-man\/","title":{"rendered":"The View From The Balcony: “The Many Hues of a Great Man”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What can one say about a big man with an even bigger heart who could befriend a panther, yet muzzle a wildcat when a wildcat needed muzzling? Elihue Burt<\/strong>, who provided security for the upstairs bar at City Grocery<\/strong> for years, was such a man. We lost him on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Hue\u2019s first name came from the Hebrew word \u0115l\u012bh\u016b <\/em>literally meaning, \u201cMy God is he\u201d or \u201cHe is my God himself.\u201d) Hue was family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elliott Willard<\/strong> wrote, \u201cHis smile was infectious, and he jumped at the opportunity to serenade anyone and everyone. The Upstairs Bar will miss you, brother.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John \u201cCoonie\u201d Spreafico<\/strong> summed it up well: \u201cThe people make The Grocery what it is. Hue was a big part of that. Whether it was his smile or him singing \u2018Happy Birthday\u2019 to you, he always made you feel welcome. He was a treasure and will truly be missed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had the great privilege of working with this gentle soul for many years. Elihue Burt was a ray of sunshine. His perpetual optimism was infectious. His humble and kind demeanor is one that we should all aspire to emulate. I love him and will miss him greatly.\u201d (Justin Burnett<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sent out a FB request for people to say a few words about Hue. Here are some of the comments that came to me in response:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo sad and shocked to hear this! Hue was awesome!\u201d (Steve Stricker<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHue put a smile on everyone\u2019s face as they reached the top\u2026\u201d (Bill Andrews<\/strong>). Bill, I would add \u201c\u2026unless you had a fake I.D.!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlways a gentleman. Hue made everyone\u2019s day or evening a little brighter. Shine on, Sir!\u201d (Bill Houston<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat a wonderful man Hue was. always<\/em> so kind and friendly. I am sad to see that he has passed.\u201d (Charmie Lassen Weeks<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlways smilin\u2019!!! (Sandra Bennett Jackson<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSad news. He was a great guy.\u201d (Robert Malone<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI always loved how he would greet everyone by name and with a smile. He was always willing to take a photo and he always wanted to know how things were going. He was an Oxford icon and will be forever missed.\u201d (Sally Laster Agnew<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHue had that gentle giant smile that would light up your day if it was dim or make it even brighter if it was already a swell one. Without knowing him well, I could tell he had compassion in his heart for people. I\u2019ve seen him be patient and kind to those who were a bit too annoying from libations. I\u2019ve seen him stern and kind to those who were a bit hot-headed. He walked and treated people with respect and received the same. His spirit will be missed by many and especially his family. The world was blessed to have gotten time with Hue.\u201d (LaNair Baker<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo saddened to read of Hue\u2019s passing. The top of the stairs has never been the same once he left. He would let me slip by when they were cracking down on all kids (old or young). Hue always asked about my daughter and would tell me what field he had to cut at home. When I was going through a terrible time he knew and he held my hand a moment longer. Eerily, he was in my thoughts recently. A kinder, calmer soul I have never known. We were all better for having known him just a little.\u201d (Belinda Barmby Hopkins<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr. Hue always had a smile and a warm greeting. Couldn\u2019t help but make you feel special.\u201d (Jane Vorhies<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHue was awesome! He always had a smile on his face. I enjoyed talking with him every time I came to CG. He was a true class act!\u201d (Brum Elliott<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo sad to hear of Hue\u2019s passing. He thought highly of Scott and Sydney (my children) and I always made sure to thank him for keeping a watchful eye on them. It meant a lot to me and Angela as parents to know there were people like Hue watching over our kids while they were 600 miles away from home!\u201d (Greg Schroder<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHue was just such a genuinely good soul. He always seemed in good spirits and had an infectious laugh. I remember frequently talking to him about his church and I wish I would have gone one time to see him sing there. He was certainly one of the good ones.\u201d (George McDaniel<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI invited Hue and his wife to my 50th birthday party. They weren\u2019t able to make it, but the next time I saw him at CG he hugged me (well, he always did that) and told me how much he appreciated the invitation. Then he sang \u2018Happy Birthday\u2019 to me and I cried. What a beautiful man he was. I\u2019m so thankful for his friendship.\u201d (Shannon Mays Lovejoy<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was very sorry to hear of his passing. He was kind, funny, and yet formidable.\u201d (Tom Brady<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHue was brotherly love embodied. I\u2019ll never forget his bighearted hugs and that genuine smile. He made me feel like he was so happy to see me every single time we crossed paths. I hope he\u2019s singing and laughing his heart out in the hereafter.\u201d (Jenna Lynn Mason<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHue was the epitome of everything we love about City Grocery and Oxford. He was always the smiling face at the top of the stairs with a hug and a listening ear. He was more than security. He was safety and joy. He was a bright light in the darkest night and the world is a little dimmer without him.\u201d (Price Walden<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And from one of my childhood friends who never met Hue, but sensed his soul, \u201cHaven\u2019t had the pleasure of visiting there yet, didn\u2019t have the pleasure to meet him. Still somehow, this saddens me.\u201d (Stephen Baine Rigby<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hue, you mattered. You always have. You always will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026and that\u2019s the View from The Balcony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Randy Weeks is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified Shamanic Life Coach, an ordained minister, a singer-songwriter, and an actor. He grieves over the loss of Hue Burt and has deep gratitude to have known him. Randy may be reached at <\/em>randallsweeks@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What can one say about a big man with an even bigger heart who could befriend a panther,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":262,"featured_media":39753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11902],"tags":[26239,5,4,10286,3,10878],"class_list":["post-131233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-randy-weeks","tag-elihue-burt","tag-mississippi","tag-oxford","tag-randy-weeks","tag-the-local-voice","tag-the-view-from-the-balcony"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/2017-5-11-View-from-the-Balcony.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}