Married 54 years, Mike and Jean Obrist were always together. Their adventures took them from their home state of New York to Alaska, and finally to East Tennessee. In 1986, the couple established a homestead in rural Cocke County, where they shared a love for farming, gardening, reading and birdwatching.
During the second wave of Hurricane Helene flooding from the Nolichucky River, which occurred after midnight, the Obrists tried to evacuate but the water was over their car, according to a neighbor. They died together. Their full obituary is here.
It’s hard to get wound up about politics when our neighbors are dealing with such loss.
Georgia on my mind
Georgia voters posted record turnout as early voting began Tuesday, October 15, 2024. One voter was 100-year-old Jimmy Carter. His grandson said he was hanging on to vote for Kamala Harris. The former president has been in hospice care for a year and a half. He voted by mail.
Georgia is again a battleground state. In 2020, nearly five million Georgians voted in the presidential election, won by Joe Biden by some 12,000 votes. You may recall President Trump asking Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” for him.
By end-of-day Wednesday (10/16/24) Georgia’s two-day total was 581,902 votes – almost 10 percent of the total votes in 2020. And election day is three weeks out.
Biden was the first Democratic presidential nominee to win Georgia since Bill Clinton in 1992. It’s been 32 years since Clinton won the presidency, yet he is younger today than Donald Trump. Both are 78 but Trump’s birthday is June 14 while Clinton’s is August 19.
Sandra Clark is founder of Knox TN Today.