How will you be remembered?

Yesterday, I sat in Claybar Funeral Home in Orange and listened to friends and family members tell how Dr. Dennis Franklin (The Plant Doctor) touched their lives. It was time of laughter, as one by one, they talked about how kind Dennis was, how great his enthusiasm for life was, how cheerful he always was and how much he loved to laugh.

One of the things that struck me most was how more than one person mentioned that Dennis never had a bad word to say about anyone. He was a man who didn't need to find fault with others. He was too busy being Dennis, a man who had rather encourage than discourage.

That's something worth thinking about, in an age when sarcasm, backbitting and cutting people down has become an art form. Showing others how to be kind, empathetic and gracious is no small legacy.

Dr. Dennis Franklin, The Plant Doctor

I've tried four times to start typing this and keep erasing it because I don't know what to say about such awful news. Yesterday, Dennis Franklin, the man we call The Plant Doctor, was found dead in his car at an area supermarket.

I met Dennis when he began writing a column for The Beaumont Enterprise. I got to know him well because I edited his columns for quite some time. During that time, Dennis endured major hardships. Hurricane Ike put 6 feet of water in his Orange home. He lost pretty much everything. Months later, his father, from whom Dennis inherited his love of plants and whom he adored, died. Dennis was by his side the entire time he was in the hospital, even when his father no longer recognized him. He continued to turn in his column, true to the professional he was.

Two weeks ago, Dennis taught a class at the Jefferson County Master Gardeners course. I learned even more about him there. Dennis was a powerhouse of knowledge on anything and everything to do with plants. His seminar was amazing, a combination of knowledge, energy, humor and a love of growing things. I respected him more than ever after spending a day absorbing everything I could on what he had to offer.

I still can't believe he died. He was 57, energetic, active and always had a positive attitude, even when things went wrong. He sent me an email thanking me for a note I sent when his father died. It was a gentle, lovely, appreciative response to something that mattered a great deal to him.

Dennis touched many thousands of lives. He wrote the column for the Enterprise, hosted a radio show on KLVI and answered questions for gardeners with problems at M&D Supply each Saturday, in addition to the other jobs he held and as a plant and tree consultant. I have no doubt people were lined up at M&D to see him this morning, only to be told the sad news.

Dennis was a kind man. A gentleman who would do anything he could for others to help make their gardening experience richer. He had the most voracious appetite for knowledge I've ever encountered. His influence is making me a better gardener and I am grateful for that.

I will miss you, Dennis. Thank you for your enormous contributions to the gardening community and to your family and friends.