Crazy Kazee. That’s what they called her. In fact, she even referred to herself by that term.
Travelling to a small eastern Kentucky town in 1989 with a church group, my friend and I stayed with her. With all of the maturity of two kids who just completed their sophomore year in high school, this is how I recall our one week stay with this eccentric widow in her 70’s.
Arriving late each evening, she greeted us with sandwiches and ghost stories. Some of the ghost stories seemed a bit too real. To be safe, we slept in shifts. Or, at least we tried.
Then one night, she told about a joke she played on two church leaders. Apparently, she had been attending this small church for a year or two, when one evening two of the leaders knocked on her door.
She opened the front door, gave them a look of shock, and fell straight back onto the carpeted living room floor. The men rushed in, splashed water on her face, and attempted to revive her. As she lay there nonresponsive, they spoke quickly about calling for help, certain that they had frightened her to the point of some tragic health consequence.
Hurriedly debating their next move, Ruth popped one eye open, which got their attention. With a smirk on her face, she said, “I thought you guys would never come visit me!”
And so she was forevermore known as “Crazy Kazee” for this and other feats of wit and borderline appropriateness at their small church in the hills of Eastern Kentucky.
What interesting characters have you met along your way?
Worth Repeating
I’ve always believed there are funny people everywhere, but they’re just not comedians. In fact, some of my best comedic inspirations were not professional entertainers.
-Steve Martin
