FRIENDS PASSING...

This isn't going to be a jolly post, so I'll warn you right now. I learned last night of the deaths of two friends from my Fort Wayne years, Michael Rothe and Jerry Palumbo. Both died in 2007.

I knew Michael when he was a high school German teacher, but he told me once he had always wanted to do radio broadcasting. Several years after I moved from Fort Wayne, I learned he had fulfilled that dream and had garnered some success on both classical and jazz shows broadcast on WILL-FM, Urbana, IL, and WFMT, Chicago, IL. We last talked about 5 years ago. The tributes to him describe the man I remember: soft-spoken, a loyal friend, a good listener.

Jerry "Gandalf Slick" Palumbo was a character come to life. Another soft-spoken man and friend to all who chose to follow the beat of a different drummer while maintaining an insatiable curiosity of life.

While I hadn't seen either of these friends for several years, there was always something comfortable about knowing they shared some of the same memories I did of my 9 years in that city. Now the window has narrowed.

Farewell, Friends.

Comments

Tammie's Thoughts said…
This is exactly what I hate about getting older...more and more of the people we love are passing on...
I saw my mom today. She looks like a Zombie almost. I'm not sure she knew who I was and it breaks my heart. But I guess we will all be there one day, won't we?
January 21, 2008 at 3:43 PM
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