By Deby Jo Ferguson
Staff Writer
Harold Moore and Susie Curtis have become a welcoming sight for people who are hurrying down the road, off to their busy workdays. Moore and Curtis can sometimes be seen along Tusquittee Street sitting on a corner bench after their morning walks, but they’re never too tired or busy to wave or talk with folks who pass by.
Moore is 87, has three children and is married to Gerretta Moore. He and Curtis try to walk a mile or two a day just to stay healthy.
“I was raised in Hayesville and after high school I worked at Moore’s Supply Company, a wholesale grocery business. Today I enjoy getting out and walking, talking to the people who stop and talk with us about all kinds of things or just waving at the ones who blow their horns as they pass by,” Moore said.
Curtis, 68, finished high school at Hayesville, then after graduation she left Clay County to work.
“Mine and Harold’s family lived beside each other, so we’ve grown up together and been friends a long time. After I left Hayesville, I went to work as a geologist and traveled a lot to mine," Curtis said. "Mainly I worked out west. I moved back to Clay County about 10 years ago and once again Harold and I live in the same neighborhood.”
“It’s nice to have someone to walk with because if you’re by yourself it’s easy to say, “Ah I think I’ll just skip today.
“People drive by when we’re sitting on this bench and wave or blow their horn and we wave back. Sometimes we wonder if they wish they were sitting here or just think we’re crazy,” Curtis laughed.
Moore says he hopes that people seeing them out walking encourages people of all ages to get out and walk.
“The main thing is, no matter what your age is to just keep moving and don’t sit down,” he said.
Harold doesn’t mind crowds when walking, that’s why his 5-year-old friend and puppy, "Sparky," joins in on their walks to stay in shape.