Eight years ago the world lost a wonderful man.  Let me tell you about him.

His name is James.  James was friends with everyone.  You couldn’t go anywhere without him finding someone he knew.  He was also a wonderful father, son, and neighbor.  There was this hat – a light blue fishing hat with a red band – that he wore everywhere.  If he couldn’t wear that hat, then he wouldn’t wear one at all.  You rarely saw him without that hat; it was a part of who he was.  Just like his dry sense of humor, long mustache, and taste for pickled herring (ewww).  If you needed something, all you had to do was ask.  He’d give you the shirt off his own back if it would help.  And helping someone else is how he died.

Thank you James, wherever you are.  For sharing your life with all who knew you, even if the time was far too short.