Skip to main content

RIP Earl Small

I found out today that Earl Small, owner of Earl Small's Harley Davidson died this past weekend in a helicopter accident in New York. Everything I've read said he was on his way to purchase another helicopter and when his family hadn't heard from him, they called the authorities who found him and the helicopter Sunday.
My dad spent many many years working for Earl so I saw him often when I was a kid.

I can't think of Harley's without thinking of Earl. His first shop was off South Cobb Drive in Smyrna. I have awesome memories of that place. I loved it. I spent so many Saturday's roaming around that shop watching my dad work on bikes and sell bikes. I mean really, how cool was I that I got to hang around with all these rough and tough bikers? I loved their long hair. I loved that they all wore black and they cussed like sailors. I loved that they liked me and I was allowed to hang out with them.
Earl was another story. He always looked like a business man to me. He scared the shit outta me. Weird how none of the "dirty bikers" intimidated me, it was the business man. He reaked of authority. I don't remember him ever even speaking to me. Well, I heard him speak ABOUT me once when I was 14 or 15. He was having a big party at the store and I had offered to help with one of the booths. My dad and I went to ask him if it was all right and Earl not noticing me right behind my dad said "No, she looks like a freak with that hair of hers". Seriously??? A freak? Um, ok. You take a good look at what's hagin' around here buddy? From that day on I despised Earl Small.

When I would go see my dad at work Earl was never really there or if he was, I didn't usually see him. If I did, I'd turn tail and head in the other direction. I didn't want him to say the normal bullshit hellos while he was really thinking about how stupid I looked.

As the years went on, I no longer worried about what he thought of me. Turns out everybody thought I looked weird! Earl may have not liked my hair, but he gave my dad a job time and time again. My dad would screw up, get pissed and quit or have the bright idea that he really wanted to be a weatherman instead of a bike salesman or mechanic and he would leave Earl Small's. He would always go back and Earl would hire him. Then, when my Dad died, we were frantic over how to pay for the funeral. We all had nothing. Miraculously, the funeral was paid for in full. We all knew who had done it.

It turns out that my fear of Earl Small was an unfounded fear. He wasn't a scary mean ass man. He was a husband, a dad and a very successful business man. Earl Small had a heart of gold......he just didn't like my hair.

RIP Earl Small, tell my dad if you see him that I said "hello".
******************************************************************
Visitation will be held Saturday, October 24th from 2 - 4 and 6 -8 at Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home in Marietta
The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, October 25th at McEachern United Methodist Church in Powder Springs

Comments

Anonymous said…
I worked for Earl for 7 years during the late 80's and 90's.
He was an awesome employeer and a voice of reason when you needed sound advice.
Was your dad Jim Ratliff? Rat and I were buddies and we enjoyed each others company. I miss him too!
Pushrod said…
pushrod9@bellsouth.net
Anonymous said…
Rat helped me build my first PC back in the day, when he lived in the apt. off Whitlock ave. You are right about the weatherman thing, Jim used to have the local TV chopper land on the front lawn at Earl's. I did remember that Jim had a daughter, and I have to admit that some of those early days at Pat Mell Rd are a little fuzzy but I am glad to hear that you have grown up and doing well.
Thanks Randy, and it was good to hear from you. I love hearing from people that knew my dad!
Stitchblade said…
Wow..its a crazy small world on the net! Too meet an old friend of your dads through your blog!
Cap'n Cornhole said…
I, too worked for him for a short time. He was a good guy, fer sure. RIP earl.

Popular posts from this blog

June 28 - I Heart Faces Pet Entry

I know, I know....it's be FOREVER since I last posted, but life has majorly gotten in the way. Lots and lots of ups and downs....well mostly downs, but who am I to complain? ....and I'm totally not about to be a Debbie Downer and start whinin '..... that'll come later...I promise.....I'm doin ' this here post ' cuz I wanna have an awesome picture of our ol ' Wheezy Lee and Vin to be posted on the I Heart Faces Blog . It's my first time and Lord knows I probably ain't gonna get it right the first 1,600 times I try, but I'm gonna give it a go anyhow. Despite life totally suckin ' these days, I do have a constant source of entertainment....when she's not being a total crappin ' machine that is..... I introduced Wheezy Lee to y'all a while back and she's been growin ' like mad. To catch you up on everything you've missed, she hates swimmin ' despite my best efforts....she refuses to be crate trained.....she th

East Atlanta Strut 2010

I've been sewin' my fingers off tryin' to get ready for the East Atlanta Strut . It was the first show I had ever done and it was a BLAST! Bein' used to your standard kinda craft shows, you know the ones.....wood cut into silly stuff, marsh mellow guns, lace and potpourri, you can imagine my excitement when I was accepted to do the Strut, which ain't your mama's craft show. After three years, I've decided to give it a go again. I've really focused on my bears since that's what I really enjoy makin' and it's what everyone seemed to like best. You definitely won't find anything else like 'em out there! They're all sad lookin' and junk.....and people wanna hug 'em when they see 'em. I started sewin' these guys three years ago and after readin' an article in a magazine about a man that went to war, was burned badly while there and came home to his finance, married her and made babies with her despite all his s

Fluffidermy!

I would say 90% of my friends are into buyin' taxidermy. The stuff that lined the walls of my family's homes is more popular than ever! The difference bein' that my family shot that junk themselves and proudly displayed their trophies and ate the rest.... Seein' as how the closest I get to huntin' is huntin' the best deals possible on groceries and I can barely afford toilet paper these days taxidermy ain't gonna find itself to the already awesome walls of my house anytime soon. HOWEVER...... You know, I've been makin' my Battle Scrarred Bears again and in the midst of all the hubub over taxidermy, I decided to start puttin' their sweet little heads on plaques.....and voila!......my own dadgum taxidermy........FLUFFIDERMY!!! I've seen lots of other crafty made....uhhhh....idermy, and even proudly display feltidermy by girlsavage on one of my walls. Fluffidermy is my spin on the awesome that is stuffed craft ...idermy!.....and dammit....ev