County lost a good friend
Warren County has lost some good people this year who will be hard to replace. Last week, a man I called McMinnville’s best kept secret passed away.
Merle Hooper, founder of Care America, was doing what he loved to do — helping others. This time, he was taking supplies to Native Americans in Arizona. While on this trip, he also was going to take part in dedicating a new church he had helped to build.
This was just one of many trips he had made not only to the reservations of Arizona, but also to the Appalachian Mountains. He would take with him clothes, food, Bibles and anything else that was needed by some of the poorest people in America.
His love of man was only exceeded by his love of God. No one will ever know how many people Merle helped and that is the way Merle liked it.
Care America’s slogan says, “Because it’s more important to reach the ones that count than to count the ones you reach.” Merle never kept up with how many he helped because there was always someone else to help.
I was proud to call Merle Hooper my friend and even though he was not as well known as some of the others who have passed away this year, he will be missed as much by those who knew him.
David Carden
94 Gay Road
McMinnville