In Memoriam

During a visit to my local grocery store I learned to my extreme grief from the Assistant Manager that Capt. John Derst raisin bread is dead and gone. The AM said a decision had been made to stop production, no reason given by the Derst man who gave him the news. Me and the AM think this a sad moment, each of us having enjoyed eating the bread for many years. The Derst bakery was founded in Savannah in 1867. Many the nights I sat up late watching a John Wayne cowboy flick, and put a couple of slices of CJD raisin bread in the toaster, lathered each piece with peanut butter and enjoyed the Duke beating the hell out of some bad guy who threatened to kill a young cowboy, rape a maiden or steal a cow. Those were moments to savor. Now such moments have gone the way of five cent cigars and 19 cents gasoline. The Derst bakery business was taken over by Flowers Foods in 2006.