I lost a DEAR FRIEND today. I miss him ALREADY, and it has only been a few hours. WHERE did you go OLD FRIEND? I NEED to know where it is you are, so I can come visit, OR AT LEAST phone you. I NEED YOU TO TELL ME A STORY. REMEMBER ALL those moments we shared? We had so many. I met you FIRST, at the Ithaca Post Office. The job for me was an all new experience. I was a part time mail handler, and you were a temp clerk. You had been working there about a year already. As I remember, it was in the Parcel Post section that we first met. I would unload trucks & dump parcel on the distribution belt, and you and Cappy would do the sorting. You both made the work less a job and more fun. It was entertaining to watch you both COMPETE in tossing the parcels into the tubes. Seeing who could make the most impressive throw. You would NOT HESITATE to give me help when asked. That was always your attitude, to me and to ANYONE. And, that continued to this very day. It was funny, how easy it was to carry on a conversation with you. We had common interests, of course starting with the challenges of working with the Post Office, but more interesting where, baseball, softball, hunting, car repair (for that matter, ANY REPAIR), societal issues. It really didn’t matter the subject, we could discus any topic LONG, and more often than not, agreeing. We would literally carry on a conversation for over an hour easily, and we did so quite often after work. Jo-An a lot of times wondering where I’d been. The MOST IMPORTANT subject for BOTH of US, however was our FAMILIES & FRIENDS. That subject wasn’t immediate, but as we got to know each other better it became a topic of constant inquiry. We kept tabs on the ups & downs of each of our family, and eventually sharing in some of their memorable moments, from sporting events, to weddings. I got to know your family as well as my own. To this day, I feel your family is an extended family of mine. When we would talk about other people we cared about, you always amazed me how you could NOT ONLY remember all their families names, but extended family and even friends of theirs. You were a RIGHTEOUS MAN old friend. You had one of the strongest faiths in God of anyone I have known. You practiced your faith even during the most difficult of times. I aways admired that about you. You were an example for us all to try to emulate. The story telling, I will miss the story telling. The stories of the softball games, the hunting tales, the drives to work in bad weather, the deer hunting with your vehicle, the comical moments repairing cars & equipment around the house, the self-deprecating moments that you shared despite how embarrassing to yourself they might be. You made me laugh. You made me laugh all the time. I may miss that MOST OF ALL. Where are you MY FRIEND? I will hold on to ALL those memories as tightly as I can, for as long as I’m able. In the mean time, when I’m able to share time with Mary Jo, Carine, Fred, Heather, Sarah & Benji, I’ll know you MUST BE NEAR. GOD BLESS YOU & KEEP YOU in HIS ARMS, until I can find out where it is that you are making that NEXT STORY that will keep me laughing. I CAN’T WAIT to hear it!