"Goober says, Hey" "Hey to Goober"

I grew up as a TV kid! Even with only 3 main channels and Public Broadcasting, I was usually watching something. I had my favorites, just as I do now. That Girl, The Dick VanDyke Show, The Carol Burnette Show, and Jackie Gleason to name a few. I am old enough to have watched these when they originally aired, but I also watch re-runs of these any chance I get. Few shows hold the distinction of being able to watch them over and over again without tiring of them. The Andy Griffith Show was one of those shows. The cast was headed by, of course, Andy Griffith, but what makes the show a classic and a joy to watch once or 10 times is the ensemble cast. Don Knotts - Barney Fife, Ronnie Howard - Opie Taylor, Jim Nabors - Gomer Pyle, Frances Bavier - Aunt Bea, Hal Smith - Otis Campbell, and a host of other recurring guest stars. One of those cast members was George Lindsey who played Goober Pyle, cousin to Gomer, the local Filling Station attendant. George Lindsey first appeared as Goober on The Andy Griffith Show in 1964 and stayed with the show and onto the sequels until 1971. Goober was a simple man who was happy with his job at Wally's Filling Station as a mechanic. I loved to watch Goober. George Lindsey had a way of portraying the character that made you smile every time you watched him, mostly because Goober was always either grinning or laughing at someone else's joke or telling a corny one himself. Who can forget his impression of Cary Grant or his signature  jug head style beanie? He was one of the characters that made Mayberry a town people would love to live in.
George Lindsey continued his career as Goober for many years on the popular show Hee Haw. I personally have a fondness for an animated character he lent his voice to in the Disney film, The Aristocats, a floppy eared beagle named Lafayette who was paired with a hound dog named Napoleon, voiced by another great character actor, Pat Buttram. 
The world lost George Lindsey yesterday at the age of 83, an actor who was content to be just what he was and played it, oh so well! Although we've lost the actor, because of the wonderful characters he created, generations will know his humor and his grin forever.