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It saddened me to hear of the death of Roy Carroll Sr. He was only 64.

I hadn't seen the man I'll forever know as "Mr. Carroll" for decades. (In hindsight, I wish I would have least given him a call.) But I spoke of him often with his son, Roy Carroll II, the builder and developer who is renovating the old downtown Wachovia tower as Center Pointe.

Roy Sr. was my first boss, the manager of a supermarket called Bi-Rite, then Bestway, on Phillips Avenue.

He was a good man to work for, firm but friendly, with an easy smile and a calming manner, 24-7.I bagged groceries for him in my first stab at a paying job. I was in high school.

In those days we took the groceries out of the cart, bagged them, placed them back into the cart, rolled them to your car and loaded them. I made nearly as much in tips on a good Saturday as I made in salary. All you had to be was nice. People were so appreciative.

That was more years ago than I care to remember but I never forgot him. And I'm grateful for the lessons he taught by example.

He eventually left the supermarket to go into construction. The Carroll Cos. were born. He co-owned the company with Roy II until he retired.

The family business is part of his legacy, as is the shiny new tower taking on a second life in downtown Greensboro.

I didn't connect him to his son at first but I should have known right away. The resemblance is unmistakable. Especially the smile.

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