Ron Brooks
Ron relaxing at my childhood
home, 1976?
Ron Brooks died last week. I've known him since I was Lauren's age. He was a good friend of both of my parents. My dad flew into town Wednesday and we all drove to his funeral in Coquille on Thursday. The ceremony didn't do much for me since I haven't known his family and since it seemed like his family hasn't known him well since he was a teenager. Even so, I enjoyed the drive and seeing the people I did know.
Ron was 59. I have lots of memories of him from my childhood when he was more active. He is someone you could never have an argument with, but who was always ready for friendly competition. If you could beat him at something or pull a trick on him, he would really appreciate the opportunity to do you one better the next time. I've had to compare these memories to more recent memories of him as he has lost mobility and much of his outgoing personality to Rheumatoid arthritis, hip problems, and the side effects of dozens of pills for those conditions. I wish I could spend some time with the Ron I remember from my childhood.
It's been a pleasant benefit in a sad week to see my dad. We saw David and went to the Saturday Market today. He's headed back to Chicago tomorrow.
oh goddess, michael. i'm so sorry for the loss of your friend. i am glad, though, that you got to see your dad.
Comment by brooke — 04/23/2005 6:53 PM
[...] uff. So... today is cute picture day. The first picture is Lauren and a boy named Cabe at Ron's Funeral. Cabe is usually a handful, so his mother was surprised that Lauren was ordering [...]
Pingback by Following Edge » Cute Picture Day — 04/25/2005 8:34 PM
[...] ange she has been able to find (including a pile of pocket change collected over time from Ron. In the last month, her wallet was bulging so badly that we had her open a savings account [...]
Pingback by Following Edge » Castle — 04/29/2005 9:26 PM