Sadly, my friend Terry passed away on Thursday. His wife Cathy posted to say that at 9:30 am, he closed his eyes as he held her hand. A solitary tear fell down his face and he squeezed her hand as he took his last breath. He was at home and they were together for the last of his days. It's sad, but I am so happy that he is now at peace and no longer in the horrible pain the pancreatic cancer had caused him.
Terry was my former boss. He was always a little "different" than any other boss I had previously had or have had since. He was REAL. He cursed. He yelled at people (but only once at me..and it was because I was laughing with someone else too loudly while he was on the phone - kinda funny situation). He was honest. He gave you honest feedback and honest performance reviews. But, aside from being a boss, he was a friend. He shared his thoughts and feelings with me. He told me about the really cool places he wanted to visit, and then he'd visit them and share his pictures and slide shows and all his thoughts about the place.
He loved his wife Cathy like no one I know has ever loved another person. He called her "The Babe". She is a bit younger than him and I always teased him about that. Told him he robbed the cradle. He adored her. They did everything together. Traveled to all those wonderful places together. When she was out of town for work, he hated it. He hated eating dinner alone, so he would invite one of the women from the office to join him for dinner out. I went a few times. We'd usually go to Murray's (one of the nicest places in Minneapolis). He'd talk about Cathy most of the time.
He also loved the Gopher Women's basketball team. A LOT! He and Cathy ran their fan club, The Fast Break Club, for about 7 years. He was passionate about the team. He tried for years to get me to go to a game. I wish I had done it sooner, because when I finally went for the first time last year, I had a blast. Loved it. I even attended a special lunch for members of the FBC and got to meet the coaches parents and see the players 'in person'. I attended 2 more games this year, using Terry and Cathy's personal season ticket seats. He gave them out to friends when he realized he wouldn't be strong enough to attend.
Sometimes we put a person on a pedestal after they pass away. We make them bigger than life and more saintly then they were in life. This is probably true of Terry, also, but I think it's partly because I didn't really fully appreciate him while he was here. I should have visited him and Cathy more often. I should have called more and EMailed more. Kept in touch better than I did. But there you go. He's gone now and I have fond memories of him. He was a helluva guy and I hope he's keeping a travelogue of his final journey that I can read when I see him again!
Rest in peace dear friend, rest in peace!
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