The loss of close Friends - page 1 -

• The loss of close Friends by Mikekoz13 on 20 Jan, 2013 08:08
• This has been a tough week in oour Home. We lost two very dear Family Friends this week.
  
  Our Friend Mr. Jeremiah passed last weekend at the age of 94. He was an a amazing man. Well educated, bright, funny, and a wit as sharp as a straight edge razor. Mr. Jeremiah was a life long New Yorker but moved to our small Pennsylvania town about 7 years ago.
  He was NOT happy to leave New York and didn't care for our small country town life style at first. Then his daughter took him to the Senior Center in town that my wife runs. He was embraced immediately by the Seniors and thru them met more and more friends.
  He was so interesting. He actually took college courses at the age of 82. Many years ago, even before the civil rights movement he stood up vigorously for minorities. He actually pitched in Yankee Stadium at a tryout for the Yankees many years ago.
  
  Mr. Jeremiah became a part of our Family. My Mom became one of his daytime caregivers (really just a companion to do things with) and he and my Dad struck up an awesome friendship. My kids LOVED him and considered him a third grandfather. I loved verbal sparring sessions with him where we woiuld take turns making ridiclous plays on words.
  He was to many of our Family functions over the last 6 years and he and his Family became life long Friends. His daughter Trudy and her husband Hushang were at the hospital with me and my Mom nearly every day while my Dad was in his last weeks.
  
  Though we will miss him dearly, we know that at 94, he had an amazing run. We were all enriched by his wit and kindness.
  
  This one story I heard about him that sums him up clearly. He was driving his son and his son's friend to school one day. This is the conversation in the car that AM:
  
  Mr. Jeremiah: "It's a great day for the race!"
  Sons Friend: "What race Mr. Conway?"
  Mr. Jeremiah: "The human race!"
  
  Keep them laughing up there Mr. Jeremiah.
  
  
  We also lost our dear Friend Ron Unger. Ron was only 62 and one of the kindest and definetly one the funniest men I've ever known. Ron was a small, frail looking man so you never expected the dirty jokes that flew from his lips. There were many times that we were out with our group of Friends that Ron would have us laughing so hard jaws would hurt the next morning.
  Ron fought cancer for the last two years. He fought it like a champion.... with dignity, determination, and an obvious love for his wife and grown sons.
  Ron was the President of our local Lions Club and an every week volunteer at our Fire Hall bingo nights. He was a pillar in oour community and will be missed by many.
  Ron was an undertaker for many years which I'm sure helped lead to his amazing sense of humor.
  
  Ron, whose last name was Unger,had this vanity license plate on his car: UNGER TKR
  
  Ron my Friend..... I hope you don't have them blushing too badly up there.
  
  So my real point of this thread? In my 52 years I had never been a "funeral goer". It was just one of those things I didn't really get or see the need for. Then my Dad passed in November. The out pouring of Love, Kindness, and Friendship we received from Friends, Family, and even members of our community was so helpful to our Family. Hearing stories about my Dad from others... things I didn't know about.... were a true gift to our Family.
  To see so many loving and familiar faces in those last days of his life and then at his viewing and funeral was truly a comfort to all of us.
  
  So as we helped to lay our two Friends to rest this week I could not help but think back two short months ago when my Family and I were in the shoes of our Friends Families. I was so sad for them but I knew that just by being there we were helping in some very small way. I knew that this was our final gift to our dear Friends that have left but that will never be forgotten.
  
  Peace gentlemen...
• #1 by schro on 20 Jan, 2013 08:42
• Great post, Kuz. 
  
  As I've heard the saying in recent months "death is more painful for those that survive", we've seen our fair share of friends pass like you have (The Lovely Mrs. Schro's college roommate probably only has a few months to live as she battles brain cancer...only 49).
  
  Both Jeremiah and Ron seem like the kind of guys that I would have enjoyed getting to know.
  
  RIP Gentlemen.
• #2 by Laser Man on 20 Jan, 2013 09:34
• Mike,
  
  Sorry to hear of your losses.  We're both at the age where going to funerals is becoming a more common event.  Perhaps it's meant to help us realize that we all have impacts on other people's lives in ways that we can't really know or imagine.  Few of us will win the Nobel Prize or an Oscar or MVP award, but in thousands of small ways, we affect others.  Sounds like that was the case with your friends and from your posts, I think you are cut from the same cloth.
  
  All the best.
• #3 by Sir Harry on 20 Jan, 2013 11:00
• Mike, sorry for the loss of your close friends....You and their families have my sincere prayers....I learned a lot about friendship when I lost my dad almost seven years ago (May 2006) I had more support than I could have ever imagined during that time. That's why when you, Schro, and Paul lost your dads last year, I kind of felt you guys'pain in my own special way; I felt I could kind of relate to you in the loss of a parent. That's why we have to make the most of our time with our loved ones, we just don't know when that time for the final goodbye may come. Thanks again for sharing and my sincere condolences to all affected.
• #4 by Viking on 20 Jan, 2013 11:50
• What comes across to me from your post is that you truely recognise and enjoyed the good times, loosing those close to us can only ever be a terrible experience but it's remembering the good times and the knowledge that you'll never forget them is what helps to ease the pain.
  
  Tomorrow is unfortunatly a date etched into my brain forever as my best friend took his own life on January 21st 2004 at the age of 20, still raw 9 years on but the good times will allways be that, good times and the knowledge that even just knowing the guy had an influence on who I am today (no not the baldy 20 stone bloke part!!  ), it feels good to know that a part of him still lives on in me and all the others he called a friend.
  
  Sorry for your losses.
• #5 by slyjoe on 20 Jan, 2013 12:47
• Mike, I'm sorry for the loss of your friends. Keep strong.
• #6 by slymyke on 20 Jan, 2013 13:07
• Mike,
  
  I'm sorry to hear about the passing of two great men.  I'm sure you were impacted by them greatly, and I bet they were by you as well.  It is times like these that make us realize how precious life is, and how little time we have here on Earth.  I hope I can impact some people in this way before it is my time to go.   Thanks for sharing, and my condolences to you and yours.
  
  
• #7 by Lynchy on 20 Jan, 2013 13:25
• Sorry to hear about your loss Mike.
  
  It sounds like you will have many memories to think back on though.
• #8 by OzSly on 20 Jan, 2013 13:29
• Condolences for your losses Mike mate.
  Seems you have plenty of great memories of both of your close friends.
• #9 by tomgallagher on 20 Jan, 2013 13:55
• Sorry to hear about your loss Mike.
• #10 by Mikekoz13 on 20 Jan, 2013 14:59
• Thank you guys... I loved these two men and will miss them greatly but I smile every single time i think of them.
  Their passing, following so closely after the death of my Dad (another great guy) has been difficult. The feelings, that were just healing from the loss of my Dad, were sort of reopened over the weekend.
  
  We did have our laughs the last two days though.
• #11 by -Doug- on 20 Jan, 2013 16:01
• Thanks for sharing Mike. All three of them sound like they were great men. Though they are gone I'm sure that they will live on through all of the people they touched.
• #12 by mrzed on 20 Jan, 2013 17:10
• Mike, these are difficult times, but the Lord heals and comforts.  Thanks for investing in people as you have shared.  It makes these times more difficult, but worth it.
  
  May His comfort heal your sorrows.
• #13 by Tyler on 20 Jan, 2013 21:45
• Great post, Koz!
  
  Most importantly, it sounded like both men and those around them got to celebrate their lives while they were still living.
  
  While some will get to live a long life like Mr. Jeremiah, others will have their lives shortened by disease and other circumstances.  It's important to remember that each day really is a gift...that's why they call it the present.
• #14 by VoodooSyxx on 21 Jan, 2013 03:35
• Sorry to hear about your losses bro. Both of these fellas sound like some great guys that really left an impression, of the positive sort, on you.
  
  Funerals are tough. You have my sympathies there. I haven't been to one since I lost my dad five years back, and likely won't go to another one. It was a terrible experience that still causes me night terrors on a regular basis.