By Erica Thomas, managing editor
CLAY — You can’t make old friends, can’t make old friends. It was me and you, since way back when. Those lyrics from a Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton song express how important true friendship is. It can be a friendship for the ages.
Betty Bass, 91, and Clint Moore, 36, both of Clay, are proving that friendship has no age limit. For 10 years, the two pals have spent much of their spare time together and it all started with a neighborly gesture.
“She was walking from a neighbor’s house and I stopped and talked to her and that’s how it started,” said Moore. “Just one day, I had to stop running and introduce myself and look what it got me.”
Moore gave Bass his number and told her if she ever needed anything, she could call him.
“When she got my number she would always call and ask if I wanted anything to eat when she saw I came home,” said Moore.
Before long, the two were having dinner together and spending time getting to know one another. Moore, who works as a firefighter with the city of Hoover, had plenty of time between shifts to visit Bass.
“She started cooking for me and inviting me to dinner and the next thing you know we started going over recipes,” said Moore.
One night, Moore invited Bass over to his house for dinner … and the rest is history.
“For some off reason, my brother was videoing me and the backdrop was my kitchen window. I said, ‘Hey folks if there’s anyone looking for a good community to live in, there are single women walking my streets all the time,” explained Moore. “And I knew she was coming, so about that time you see Ms. Bass walking by. So, we made a video and posted it and got a couple of likes.”
But Bass said too much of that good home cooking became too much for Moore.
“Then he started gaining weight and he said we had to stop eating so much,” said Bass.
Between trips to Target and dinners at Cracker Barrel, Moore and Bass made short videos to share their happiness with others. From everything to celebrating new hearing aids to birthdays and Valentine’s Day, Moore has documented dozens of special moments.
The bond the two friends share is undeniable.
“He’s been a real pleasure to me,” said Bass. “I can’t even explain it. I never asked him to do one thing he didn’t do it for me. I’ll keep him instead of ever having another man!”
The laughs have been a blessing to both Bass and Moore.
“A lot of times people post on there she’s so lucky, but the real lucky person is me,” said Moore, while holding back tears. “When it’s all over with, I’ll be the blessed one because I’ll be able to take this with me my whole life. I just hope one day if my mom ever gets in this position, someone would take care of her like that.”
Bass has two sons in Florida and her daughter lives in Alabama. She has several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. For her, Moore is one of her own.
“I try to steer him like I did my children,” she said. “He knows I love him. He’s the best friend I ever had, besides my own husband.”
Bass was raised in Trussville and left for Florida after her husband came back from World War II. Bass worked in the lunchroom at a Dade County school for 26 years.
“I had more fun up there with those kids. I worked the kitchen and we had more fun back there and those kids just laughed when they came in,” Bass remembered.
Although Bass no longer has her husband by her side, she is thankful for all the years they had together, and she’s thankful that Moore has made sure she doesn’t feel alone.
“We’ll all be in Heaven one day. I’ve lived a good life, I really have,” said Bass. “Clint really means a lot to me.”
Bass now lives in Elmcroft of Grayson Valley. Fortunately, that is only two miles from Moore’s house. He is able to visit about three times a week and he installed a birdhouse at the facility for all the residents to enjoy. Moore said when he’s out and about, he always thinks of Bass.
“If you go by Full Moon, you can’t help but swing in and get her some cookies,” Moore said. “That little bag of cookies goes a long way.”
Just like a bag of cookies, the life Bass leads is sweet and satisfying. But she wants the same for Moore. If you ask her what she wants most for him, she will tell you several times.
“He needs to get married and start his family,” she said. “He’s getting to the age now that he needs to make a decision. I want him to have a bunch of children.”
In fact, Moore said that if he ever has a little girl, he wants her middle name to be Betty.
The look in their eyes tells it all. The love shines through as they gaze at one another in admiration.
“Not long ago, they thought I had a heart attack,” said Bass. “Before they took me to the hospital, I told them, ‘If I die, you tell Clint that I really do love him and he’s my best friend I’ve ever had.”
The families of Moore and Bass have also developed a tight bond.
“She’s got good family support and she has family come by and see her,” said Moore. “We are all like family, really.”
The love for Betty Bass has grown with the videos posted on Facebook. She is so well known that she is recognized in public. Even the Center Point Fire Department has surprised her with flowers for her birthday.
“Oh my goodness, it’s just unreal,” said Bass. “We do have fun.”
“There have been times we have gotten messages from people that were having a bad day and they said our video made them feel better,” said Moore.
A friendship like the one between Betty Bass and Clint Moore is one worth sharing.
“Clint has been so good to me,” said Bass. “We’re not just best friends, we’re bestest friends.”
As the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton song goes, you can’t make old friends. But as Bass and Moore have shown us, “best friends” will be there until the end.
When Saint Peter opens the gate,
And you come walking in
I’ll be there just waiting for you
‘Cause you can’t make old friends
