John

My friend John died Thursday. He was 59.

We were close friends for almost 16 years. We worked together frequently in the mornings at the office and at night at sporting events. John was a big fan of track and field and cross country. There were plenty of times we were on the phone talking to each other about track. Besides talking about sports, we talked about plenty of other things too. It wouldn't take long before both of us were laughing at something.

I haven't worked with John in almost two years, but we still kept in touch. Most recently with phone calls and having lunch together. He was someone who would always listen and offer advise. The last time I talked to him was about a week and half ago. We were talking about cross country, football and the track and field world championships. Our conversation ended with both of us saying, 'talk to you later'. I'm sad that I never got the chance to. I attended the EMU XC Celebration on Saturday in Ypsilanti, MI. During the meet, all I thought about was if he were still alive, I would be calling him later. I would have told him about the meet and people that I saw and talked to. The one person I wanted to tell about the meet, I couldn't. It is very difficult knowing that he is not just a phone call away anymore.

I will miss him a lot. I will miss our conversations about sports, life and nothing in particular. He was a great guy and no one will be able to replace him.