Cash spent his life helping others out

Barney Cash loved to help people and he helped a lot of them over the years. That's the sentiments people who knew him remember the most. Cash, 88, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, at his home in Century.

Cash spent most of his life running Century Motors on North Century Boulevard and spent a lot of that time providing vehicles to people who would likely not be able to purchase one anywhere else.

In 1972, Cash said he was coaxed into opening the lot by two of his friends from Brewton, Romine Harwell and Dewy Enfinger.

In an old article published in the Tri-City Ledger, Cash said he had worked at Harwell's car shop in Brewton and Enfinger owned his own car lot.

Cash said Century Motors was opened on a trial basis.

"I remember we started out with 19 cars on the lot," Cash said. "I bought a whole row of cars from Hill-Kelly Dodge in Pensacola."

Cash credited his success in the car business for not selling junk and treating people right. Over the years he sold vehicles to third and fourth generation family members because the first two generations liked what he was selling.

Steve Stanton said he'd been friends with Cash and the Cash family for as long as he could remember.

"I used to live a block away from Barney's car lot," Stanton said. "When I was about 12 or 13 I'd go over there every day and sit on the porch with him. He'd give me a dollar every day and I'd go to Calloway's and buy a drink and some cookies."

Stanton also said his mother bought him his first car from Cash when he turned 16.

"He helped a lot of people," Stanton said. "He was a pillar of the community in Century. If somebody didn't have enough money to buy a car, he'd finance it for them. He would work with people and he liked to help people."

Stanton said that was obvious by how many people were repeat customers and how many family members in one family would purchase cars from Cash.

Jerry Fischer said one of Cash's greatest assets was that he was an honest man.

"The only people who ever said anything bad about Barney were the people who owed him money," Fischer said. "He was easy to get along with and he loved to help people."

"He worked day and night," Fischer added. "He was at the car lot six, sometimes seven, days a week. Anything he could do to help someone, he would."

Dewey Bondurant echoed those statements, saying Cash was a great asset to the Century community.

"I thought he was a great guy," Bondurant said. "He was a good man who liked to help others and he was good for the whole community."

A native of Valley, Ala., and a former resident of Brewton, Cash lived in Century for the past 52 years.

His funeral was held Saturday, Oct. 10, at Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with the Rev. Glenn Johnson and the Rev. Doug Odom officiating. Burial was held at McCurdy Cemetery.

For a complete obituary, see Page 9A inside today's Tri-City Ledger.