His health beginning to fail over the past year or so, Bill Caulkins occasionally would lose his balance and tumble to the floor. As these frightful falls became more frequent, his family made sure to have someone watch over him as often as possible.
A few months ago, and immediately following one such fall, that day's caregiver knelt beside Caulkins, hoping to help him quickly to his feet.
Looking into the caregiver's eyes, his own eyes filled with their characteristic twinkle, his mouth breaking into his comforting smile, Caulkins grinned and asked, "May I help you up?"
If anything could sum up the goodness and graciousness of Wilford "Bill" Caulkins III, who died last Friday at the tender age of 87, it might be that story.
Of course, there were lots of stories worth repeating inside the Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church sanctuary during the Tuesday morning celebration of Caulkins' remarkable life.
There was the time his then-teenaged daughter Caroline asked him to drop her off at the outer gates of Girls Preparatory School rather than drive her to the front door because she was embarrassed by the older car he was driving.
Naturally, Bill Caulkins not only delivered her to the front door but honked the horn to say goodbye as she was entering the building.
Another time, as Caroline hoped to earn a rare late-night curfew, her father asked her how late she thought she deserved to stay out. Told midnight, Bill then asked Caroline what time she thought she would begin her evening out.
When she replied "7 o'clock," he shot back, "OK, that's five hours. So leave at 6 and be back by 11."
But most of the stories and remembrances were of the joy, confidence, help and hope that Caulkins and his late wife Nancy brought to so many throughout our city, whether through swimming - most would call him the godfather of Chattanooga-area swimming, especially since they renamed the city meet after him - the local Alzheimer's Association (which Bill helped found in 1982), his church or McCallie School, from which he graduated in 1949.
There were the lemon cakes he baked that he would bring to anyone he felt needed cheering up. There were the "bulletins" (programs) he always made sure that Lookout Presbyterian had enough of to satisfy that day's church crowd.
"That's why there are missing bulletins this morning," said pastor Joe Novenson. "Because he wasn't here."
Novenson also observed, "Not many people can still rock a seersucker suit like Bill Caulkins could."
According to associate pastor Brian Salter, Caulkins could also rock your ego when he felt you needed a compliment. It became customary for him to reach out his hand to Salter after a sermon and whisper, "That was Top 10."
Doug Dennett worked alongside Caulkins for 30 years as a Chattanooga Area Swim League official.
"I can't remember knowing a more kind, caring man," Dennett said. "He came by the city meet just a couple of weeks ago. Caroline brought him there in a wheelchair. He'd always meet with every team representative. I can't say that there wouldn't be a swim league without him, but he's fostered a program that's lasted 50 years."
Longtime McCallie coach Stan Corcoran worked with Caulkins on a number of fronts for decades.
"First of all, he basically started the Chattanooga Area Aquatic Club," Corcoran related. "Bill was also president of the officials. Over the last 40 years or so he's had his hand in almost every phase of swimming in this town. And he's always done the right thing for everybody, not just the kids from Baylor, McCallie and GPS."
Yet for all his ties to swimming, the man many called "Mr. Billy" may have saved his most important work for the Alzheimer's Association.
"Bill was instrumental in starting the local chapter," said Amy French, the organization's manager of programs. "And that was at a time when Alzheimer's was not a popular cause. But Bill was such an advocate in dealing with the legislature and all. And he was always such a good listener. He always made anyone he spoke to feel important, and not everyone has that quality."
Even as his health suffered, French said he would meet her for lunch at Southern Star two or three times a year to see if there was anything he could do to help the association.
"And being the Southern gentleman he was, he'd always pick up the check," she said.
But most importantly, he was always there to emotionally pick up his and Nancy's three children: Betsy Caulkins Bookout, Caroline Caulkins Bentley and Bill IV.
"Until recently, I didn't realize it was OK to occasionally be selfish, to put yourself first," Betsy told Caroline a couple of weeks ago. "Because our parents always taught us to put the needs of others first."
Novenson said Bill IV told him, "Dad was always so kind and loving. I always felt I could talk to him about anything."
Said granddaughter Elizabeth Picklesimer: "He was beyond amazing."
No one is perfect, of course. And Novenson tried to say as much, though without much enthusiasm. Instead, inside a packed sanctuary, it was left to Caroline to best sum up the feelings of all those gathered when she said, "We will miss the love emanating from his piercing blue eyes and smile forever."
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com