Funeral preparations medical bills and finances

Alex, my best friend of nearly 32 years passed on this morning peacefully and quietly with his wife by his side. I hurt for her and the kids and the loss that will certainly stay with them forever. The world has lost probably the most naturally gifted person I’ve ever known. He could do anything he tried. He was a rock climber, cyclist, drummer, woodworker, potter, artist of many ,many mediums, a music lover, a cartoonist, a designer, skateboarder , a deep thinker, an intellectual as well as a humorist, satirist and just as funny of a person as you could ever hope to know. I regret not being as close as we once were in his last years but i know that he knows I love(d) him. Always. I have been thinking about our adventures a lot. We built trust over many years. I think I gave him someone he could confide in and he certainly did that for me. We built each other up, tore each other down, protected each other physically and emotionally. destroyed, mended and repaired our friendship many times over the years. Alex introduced me to real music. He was infatuated with early 90s hip hop when we were young. He has always been ahead of the curve I loved that about him. “This is how we chill from 93 till’”

He always seemed years ahead of anyone else with the things he loved , styles he wore, things he said. I had the privilege of teaching his daughter ELA in second grade. I taught my best friends child . How many get to do that? And both of his kids are incredibly and uncompromisingly-Alex. They are so mature and strong and well rounded. Henry barely knows me but is always happy to see me and rush to shake my hand. Charlotte bantered back and forth with me last week like we had been friends for such a long time. They got all the best parts of their mom and dad.

I wish I had gotten one more day to talk with him while he was healthy but I’m glad I got to see him a few days before his passing. He was pretty confused but made one last joke. Even while the cancer was invading his brain he was able to make everyone in the room laugh one more time. Very Alex. Very thoughtful… in a very different way. I’m proud to have known him. Proud to have been his friend and proud to have been even a hundredth of what he was to me. If you would like to kick in and help his family in this very difficult time I would be forever grateful. It’s hard enough losing a husband and father but so much aftermath to deal with when it’s hard to even get up in the morning.