saying good bye

A friend of mine passed away this past weekend. When I got to thinking about it, I figured out that I had known him for almost 20 years. Actually it could have been longer.

He's one of my gamer friends, and as such, was an awesome gamer. By that I don't mean that he was extra good at it, or could figure out any situation. He just had a lot of fun with it, and made a game fun, as well, since he obviously enjoyed them so much. He practiced good sportsmanship, whether winning or loosing. When he ran a game - Call of Cthulhu - he made awesome props to go with his adventure. He built models. He had books for you to look in and a Sears catalog from the 1920's for you to shop from. He would pull out a box of costume bits for you to pick out pieces so you could look like your character, and have the items your character would carry. And, yes, if you picked up that mysterious box that he set out in the middle of the table, you could consider that your character also picked it up... and if you opened it, be ready for the consequences. Man, it was hard to resist them, too, because it was just so darned cool!

Beyond being a gamer who welcomed almost anyone to his gaming table, Ed was just a really nice man. He and his wife, both. They loved hosting the gaming group. They have been, for me, one of the couples that serve as a life example for me. They are mentors without even trying, by living their best life. That's who I want to be when I grow up.

Some of the other past and present members of the gaming group have expressed similar feelings to mine, which just confirms the validity of them, I think. The world is a poorer place without Ed. Still, his spirit and love of gaming live on in his gaming friends. I wish peace to his family and friends.