Lean and just under 6-feet-tall, Joe Richards of Canton carries himself with the posture and bearing of the soldier he is. Joe, 91, was drafted into the Army in 1941, just before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He spent four years in the military and is one of an estimated two million living World War II veterans. He is very hard of hearing. "From the heavy artillery," he said. Joe parachuted 12 times into battle in New Guinea. Once they took the island from the Japanese, they headed to the Philippines. That's where he got his worst injury. He hit a bomb crater—hard. His intestines came …

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled the first name of Erna Richards. Patch regrets the error. When you have the privilege to not only meet, but hear the stories of people who have lived history about which you have only read, one column is not enough. Meet Erna Richards, an 83-year-old Canton resident who survived three months in an internment camp during World War II. She and her husband stopped by Joyful Acres Farm in Ball Ground some weeks back to watch the harvesting of chickens, and to get eggs. I was helping with the harvest, so I didn’t shake her hand. Erna …

I met Terry Ross a few weeks ago at his farm in Canton. “We originally started by raising raspberries,” he said. “That’s why it’s called Ross Berry Farm.” But when Ross found out how quickly raspberries spoil, he “started looking at other things to raise.” He ended up in the beekeeping business. “Anyone who farms knows how crucial bees are to their crop success,” said Ross, 57. “Since honeybees only travel three miles in any direction, keeping bees benefits more than the beekeeper, it benefits the surrounding agriculture.” Dressed in denim overalls, Ross walked me around his farm, which is …

I met Danita almost four years ago when she led training for the Court Appointed Special Advocates course in which I enrolled. My first impression was that she was very kind and approachable, like if you needed a hug, she would open her arms to you. Danita Scott, 33, has always had a heart for at-risk children. Raised in a loving, two-parent home, she was aware at a young age that not all children were so fortunate. “The desire to make a difference in the lives of children came from the amazing parents I have,” she said. “They were so supportive of me growing up. I thought it unfair that …

I met Chelsey several months ago when one of my daughters referred me to her for a haircut. I was a little nervous because I knew she was young and very trendy. She has an asymmetrical hairstyle: short on one side, long on the other. Could she channel a middle-age, low-maintenance hairstyle for me? Turns out I needn't worry. Chelsey Wilkes is a Georgia native originally from Menlo, then Rome from sixth grade on. She's lived in Canton three years, as long as she's been married. When I asked her how long she and her husband dated, she laughed. "Not long," she said. "We were committed to …

I met Harold Carney and Mary Anne Woodie when I (finally) joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) two years ago. A CSA is basically a family-run farm or garden open to shareholders. Each shareholder pays or works toward a weekly share of fresh, local, and in this case, organic produce. I have known of CSAs for years, but the couple's Freehome Gardens was my first experience. When at all possible, I prefer to shake the hand and look into the eyes of the people who grow my food. Knowing that the lettuce and fresh garlic I eat tonight and the strawberries I eat tomorrow morning were …

Thursday, 8:30 a.m. and the produce stand stood empty. No tomatoes, no peppers, no bananas. And no Bobby. Mondays and Thursdays, Bobby Lawrence usually rises at 4 a.m., travels to the Atlanta Farmer's Market, loads his truck with the best regional produce and returns to his stand by 8 a.m. On this Thursday, something was wrong. I called Bobby's cell phone to see if he was okay. I was right—something was wrong. He'd had not one but two accidents on the way home from the Farmer's Market. The first one totaled his truck. In the second, someone t-boned the wrecker. He was stiff but okay. When you…

I met Mary Beth Sellers last year when a photo of her chicken tractor caught my eye in the paper. I had never seen the likes of a chicken tractor. My natural proclivity to buy local meat and produce brings me in contact with many interesting neighbors. I bought my first chickens from Pastured Meats last year when it was in Canton. Mary Beth and I share a common desire to eat food as close to the way God made it, which is what led her into her chicken foray. Her chickens are raised on a diet of feed that's not genetically modified and bugs. She learned Chicken Raising 101 from a family friend …

I met Nicole Traina four years ago at a local Kroger. Every time I see her at the store I say, "Hi, Nicole. How are you?" And every single time, she heaves a sigh and rolls her eyes. "How do you know my name?" Most times at least one word she says sounds like it should be in italics. Nicole, 29, has Down Syndrome. "Hmm," I say. "Could it be the name tag you wear?"  She begins to bag my groceries. "How long have you worked here, Nicole?" "Four years." "I don't have a name tag," I say, 'but do you remember my name?" "Of course." She doesn't. "It's 'Cindy'." "I knew that." Nicole puts the last …

I met Elya Snow more than 20 years ago. She comes from a large family of seven children. She is 27 now and has grown from a gangly little girl into a young woman who carries herself with a quiet confidence. Elya likes to hang out with her family and spend time outdoors. These days, she gets to do a lot of the former, less of the latter. On the night of April 14, 2010, Elya got the news that her 19-year-old brother, Nathaniel, was involved in a head-on collision. Another driver crossed into his lane and hit him. Nathaniel sustained a traumatic brain injury that requires others to care for him…

I met Joyce almost 14 years ago at church. You may have met her if your children attended Sixes Elementary, where she was a paraprofessional for special needs children for 10 years. Any teacher who had Joyce Hunter in their classroom soon came to a deeper understanding of the word blessing. She has an uncanny ability to discern not only how the teacher wants their classroom to be run, but also the best way to handle and teach the children assigned to her care. When she learned Knox Elementary would open near her house, she decided to take a position there. Everyone at Sixes felt it was their …

It had been one of those days with the kids. That feeling of being chronically behind on everything, of not doing any one thing well, of not being the kind of mom I want to be, of letting temporal things that have little eternal value irk me. It was one of those days that turn to weeks that, if not derailed by a good attitude adjustment, would become my life. Temporal or not, I had to make a quick run to the big box grocery store. This was to be a strategic 'get A, B and C then leave' trip. No meandering, no bargain hunting, no nonsense. It was early in the day and I had my youngest daughter …

I met Maria Caraballo over a decade ago in our neighborhood. She's been married 22 years and lives next door to her in-laws. For a long time, the only chance we got to see each other was when our girls, Virginia and Gabriella, played together. Then they didn't, and our relationship ebbed and flowed as theirs did, but for mature, grown-up reasons instead of childish ones. Not only did she run a busy general contractor's office, she also took in extra work bookkeeping.  That was in addition to shuttling her two girls here and yon and running a household. Life was busy. We were, after all, from …

Even dressed for her jobs at Moe's Southwest Grill and Shane's Rib Shack, Cassaundra Dian'ee Bingaman is striking. But if you ask for her by that name, few will know her. She goes by Yo' Sista, the petite spoken-word artist. "I have been managing Shane's and Moe's since I was 20 years old," said Yo' Sista, now 23. "I call it 'the other side of Cinderella'—behind a broom by day, behind a mic by night."  She always dreamed of becoming a spoken-word artist. She just didn't know that's what it was called until she was 15. That's when she watched a poet named Georgia Me on a DVD in the basement of…

Mitch Dillon's glasses make him look intelligent, which he is. But if you guess his age to be eight, like I did, you'd be wrong, like I was. Mitch, 11, is a fifth grader at Clayton Elementary School. From heart surgeries to vision issues, he's had his share of struggles. You'd never know it from his energy level. Mitch loves his friends, jumping on the trampoline and music of any kind. More than all that, he loves people. Whenever he is in public, he makes at least one new friend. He is blissfully unself-conscious, and will approach the grouchiest person in the room and before they know what …

I met Julie Wester last year as she lugged a computer and a hurting heart. A trained meditation instructor, she shuttled between her job in California and her parents' home in Canton. She was in the area to be with her mother, who was in the last stages of Alzheimer's. Julie hugged you with her smile, and projected calm acceptance of the coming sadness. Her previous career as a hospice nurse prepared her in many ways for moments like this. Her current role of daughter made this time completely different. All there was to do was wait, care for her mother's personal needs, and make her …

I met Matt Grajcar in the coffee shop where I work, before I was in charge of hiring employees. I say that because I'd love to take credit for hiring him, but I can't. At the time, he also worked two other jobs. He said he had to pay off student loans. Young and full of energy, he'd show up at 5:30 a.m. to open the shop, bleary-eyed from only two hours sleep after working 14 hours the day before between his other jobs. Tall and lanky, Matt was first to the break table when we had past-date-but-still-edible bagels or muffins the staff could eat. He'd pair that with a Hungry Man frozen dinner …

"Never judge a book by its movie."  ~J.W. Eagan I met Liz months ago when I treated one of my pregnant daughters to a manicure and pedicure. It was a spontaneous idea, made obvious when we arrived after closing time. But the shop lights were still on, so we tried the door. It was open, and they were happy to serve us after hours. One of the great things about small, local businesses—they're invested in the community and care if you come back. With my daughter situated, Liz and I were gabbing before she started my manicure. We chatted as she slid my hands into baggies and the warmer. We …

I met John Beresford and the guys when they wandered into the coffee shop where I work. As spokesman for The Bored (two Bruces, Bill, Ray, Norm and several irregulars), John said they needed a place for their weekly meeting. At the time, we'd only been open a few weeks and were happy to accommodate. Going on three years later, we still are. Best I can tell, they're all over 60 and politically conservative (one can't help eavesdrop at times around here). Now retired, they no longer have to attend corporate board meetings, hence the group's name: The Bored. Sometimes their passionate …