I Lost A Friend This Weekend

   He was a fishing and drinking buddy. He was the best man at our wedding, and godfather to one of our kids. He was a really good foosball player, who I did manage to beat a few times. He was also quite an accomplished radio-control aircraft pilot. He was just 55 when he died Friday in Calgary. We went back damn near 37 years. And yet, there were quite a few years each of us was wondering what happened to the other.
   You know what I mean. Your buddy gets married, then moves out of town. Then you get married and move out of town. In the days before things like facebook and even email, keeping in touch wasn't easy. I don't even think we exchanged addresses for snail mail. It had to have been almost a dozen years since we'd spoken when he finally tracked me down in Thunder Bay, Ontario. And while we did keep in touch, sort of, in the intervening years, we once again drifted out of contact even though I did drop in at his house once when I visited my mum in Calgary.
   A few more years passed before I heard from him again when he dropped me an email saying he'd had some pretty massive health problems some 18 months ago. Even though I should have probably done so long before I did, I finally called him again. I was shocked to hear him. He sounded 25 or 30 years older than he was, and I realized just how serious his health problems were.
   I got the call from his widow yesterday, telling me he'd passed after yet more health problems. She also told me I'm one of the very few people from the "old gang" still alive and kicking. I told her I'd keep their number, and give her a call. I did not think to ask about his funeral, or if and where tributes can be made. I'll be doing that tonight.
   It's strange to see just how much you miss someone, even when you haven't been in touch for years. I'm certainly going to miss my old buddy "Crash", and I also plan on getting in touch with another very old friend. One who I've known 52 years now, who I haven't spoken with for a while either.
   R.I.P Mike: You shall be missed.

TTFN