You rarely see it coming. Last night I was winding down from a long, festive day, my wife was in bed when a Facebook status update mentioned that a person I knew in Fredonia died. He was only 51 years old. His death was very sudden, and even more unexpected. His family was driving on the Thruway when he stopped breathing. He leaves behind a wife and two teenage daughters.
He worked at one of the local bars, grew up in town. He always carried himself with a lot of fun and energy. On good nights, he'd play the bottles on the back bar, or do a flaming shot. There were a lot of good nights.
He was also a versatile and talented musician. From what I understood he was still involved in that, but was quite responsible for raising his daughters while he sold stuff on Ebay out of his basement.
I remember when he and his wife started dating in the late eighties. She was a student of my ex-wife's and she took a liking to her because she reminded her of her younger sister. Very bright, whip smart, very attractive. We'd go to the Fountain Grill to shoot pool and get drunk, which is what the late eighties in Fredonia was all about.
The two had a major challenge early in their relationship, followed by another. They were married in the early nineties. I lost track of them but through Facebook got back in touch. He and I talked about children, and things we lost in basement floods. After awhile, you drift apart if you're not real close. So I no longer followed him. There was no disrespect. Far from it.
If you want to know more, or help the family out during this horrible time. Click here.
Rest in peace, Doug.
2 comments:
Very well stated. I am still in disbelief as are many of us who knew Doug. He touched a lot of people and left us far too soon.
This was a man who loved his wife and children. This is so hard to process. We can lose so much so suddenly.
Thanks.
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