Terry,
Always enjoy your stories.
Around 1973 an older JW who had been the pillar of the JW community where he lived, resigned as an Overseer, City Overseer, Assembly Overseer and became irregular in his meeting attendance. One day I visited with him. He made it plain that he did not believe 1914 had any Scriptural significance and therefore did not believe 1975 had any special meaning as well.
As a young pioneer servant in his early 20's, I was shocked. How could he say such things. He was a brilliant man, who thought for himself. He was the first I heard report on something Rutherford said about women being nothing but "a bag of bones and a hank of hair." Little did I know that he was right.
He continued to associate off and on with the congregation until his elderly JW mother died. She had been an active Witness since about 1906. As soon as she died, he disassociated himself. He was probably about 65 years old at the time. I remember how bitter he was. He lived another 30 years or so, dying at age 96. A widower, alone, never having children and now, an outcast Apostate shunned by all his former friends. Friends that included dozens he had helped over the years. Many of whom had heard his funeral talk for one of their relatives and 1000's who had heard one of his public talks over the years. Basically alone and bitter the last 30 years of his life.
I had always thought, what a wasted life. .....and now, here I sit in my 60's with the same thoughts he had then. How different would my life have been if I had heeded what he told me as a young man?
Good to see your post.