contender
Ruger Guru
Jack,, (coogs) post about the loss of a close friend moved me a lot. See,,, I too recently lost an old friend. Yet,, circumstances were a bit different.
I went to high school with a guy, who was raised just a few miles away from me. Yet, due to the very private nature of his family, we didn't meet until the 9th grade. He was in the 10th. I had gone to a different elementary than he had.
We became good friends during HS. We hung out together,,, and he & I worked at the same place for a while. Later, I went into the Army, but always got with him whenever I came home. After the Army, we went back to chasing girls together, & running around, shooting, gun shows etc. He used to house sit when I'd go out of town, and take care of my pets etc. I'd fix stuff for him, and in general, we were close friends.
Well, about 25 years ago,, after I met Miss Penny & all,, he met a girl that he decided to marry. In fact, they just up & went & got married w/o letting anybody know.
About a year later,, the plant he'd been working for up & closed,, only giving the employees a sudden notice, and a two week salary as severance. He had worked there for about 25-26 years. It was a shock, as he was a hard working & loyal employee.
Well, he found a job in Florida, and they moved there.
Now,, he was a lot like his dad, in that he was a fierce family type. He devoted all he had to family. In fact, he became like his parents,, in that he quit communicating with all of us around here. Yet, despite my attempts to keep in contact, he didn't.
Knowing his personality, and how he'd been raised, I accepted it about him.
We lost touch.
The last time I saw him was at his Dad's funeral, and I met his young son. He made the comment; "I'm pushing him in a stroller now, and he can push me when I get too old to walk." We had a good laugh.
Well, last weekend, I went to another friends house, and he informed me that my friend had passed away.
All he had was a very brief obituary he'd found online from the funeral home. No details as to how or whatever. Just that he'd passed away on Jan 29th, at the age of 62.
It hit me like a ton of bricks.
I've tried to find out more info, but we have found very, very little.
All week, I've thought about him, remembering how much fun we had, and all the stuff we did. I dug out my old HS annual, and put the copy of the obit in it with his picture.
Despite not having been in contact for so many years,, I still knew we were friends. He just devoted all his life to his family. And by the obituary, I also discovered he has a daughter as well as a son.
We have tried to reach out to them, to let the family know we care,, but no response yet.
Still it's hard to lose a friend,, no matter what.
RIP; Garry Ray Vess.
I went to high school with a guy, who was raised just a few miles away from me. Yet, due to the very private nature of his family, we didn't meet until the 9th grade. He was in the 10th. I had gone to a different elementary than he had.
We became good friends during HS. We hung out together,,, and he & I worked at the same place for a while. Later, I went into the Army, but always got with him whenever I came home. After the Army, we went back to chasing girls together, & running around, shooting, gun shows etc. He used to house sit when I'd go out of town, and take care of my pets etc. I'd fix stuff for him, and in general, we were close friends.
Well, about 25 years ago,, after I met Miss Penny & all,, he met a girl that he decided to marry. In fact, they just up & went & got married w/o letting anybody know.
About a year later,, the plant he'd been working for up & closed,, only giving the employees a sudden notice, and a two week salary as severance. He had worked there for about 25-26 years. It was a shock, as he was a hard working & loyal employee.
Well, he found a job in Florida, and they moved there.
Now,, he was a lot like his dad, in that he was a fierce family type. He devoted all he had to family. In fact, he became like his parents,, in that he quit communicating with all of us around here. Yet, despite my attempts to keep in contact, he didn't.
Knowing his personality, and how he'd been raised, I accepted it about him.
We lost touch.
The last time I saw him was at his Dad's funeral, and I met his young son. He made the comment; "I'm pushing him in a stroller now, and he can push me when I get too old to walk." We had a good laugh.
Well, last weekend, I went to another friends house, and he informed me that my friend had passed away.
All he had was a very brief obituary he'd found online from the funeral home. No details as to how or whatever. Just that he'd passed away on Jan 29th, at the age of 62.
It hit me like a ton of bricks.
I've tried to find out more info, but we have found very, very little.
All week, I've thought about him, remembering how much fun we had, and all the stuff we did. I dug out my old HS annual, and put the copy of the obit in it with his picture.
Despite not having been in contact for so many years,, I still knew we were friends. He just devoted all his life to his family. And by the obituary, I also discovered he has a daughter as well as a son.
We have tried to reach out to them, to let the family know we care,, but no response yet.
Still it's hard to lose a friend,, no matter what.
RIP; Garry Ray Vess.
