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Another one of my HS friends has died

BelemNole

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Mar 29, 2002
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I graduated from a small USAF high school. There were only 52 of us in the graduating class. This was quite the change from the school I moved from where we had 1000 in each class. But with 52 you knew everyone.
A few months back my fellow editor (she was yearbook, I was paper) Nic died suddenly from a aneurism. She was 51. We still chatted online about our families and kids. Talked about meeting up on one of our trips, but there was always time.
Today I learned Mike died. Mike showed up half way thru my Jr year and everyone thought he was a narc. Guy was 200+ lbs of bodybuilder, hairier than a gorilla, and already had a receding hair line and wore Miami Vice suits. No one was going to talk to the narc. Except that you immediately loved the guy. You just had to. He was in every club from the gifted program to the football team and fit in with everyone. After HS he headed off to the Air Force Academy and only managed a few years in service before a medical discharge for fighting and beating a brain tumor. He got back to living and married his HS sweetheart. She's been with him the last 6 months at the VA hospital while he battled again.
Getting old sucks. Cancer sucks. Losing friends sucks.
 
Getting old sucks and a couple of my classmates (1992) I know have died. It has made me much more health aware and determined to stay healthy for the good of my children.

On a side note, I have a 16 yr old daughter (no pics) that lives here in Minnesota as a result of a fling with a woman years ago. She's lived with her mother since she was born but I recently found out that her mother died of a hereditary blood clotting disorder that caused a pulmonary embolism. She was only 40 and there's going to be some changes in my life I think.
 
Getting old sucks and a couple of my classmates (1992) I know have died. It has made me much more health aware and determined to stay healthy for the good of my children.

On a side note, I have a 16 yr old daughter (no pics) that lives here in Minnesota as a result of a fling with a woman years ago. She's lived with her mother since she was born but I recently found out that her mother died of a hereditary blood clotting disorder that caused a pulmonary embolism. She was only 40 and there's going to be some changes in my life I think.
Yes, it's time to start making some changes.
 
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Cancer always comes back. New thinking is necessary but hard to change sheeple. I am very sorry for your loss.
 
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Hell, I lost two good friends in a car accident the summer after I graduated. On their way to the beach, they went off the road and over-corrected. The car went across the road and flipped. Both beautiful girls, smart as hell. Their moms were in the back seat and they both survived. One of the girls was an only child.

I made my sons purposefully drop their wheels off the road and taught them how to handle it. Never EVER jerk the wheel.
 
Hell, I lost two good friends in a car accident the summer after I graduated. On their way to the beach, they went off the road and over-corrected. The car went across the road and flipped. Both beautiful girls, smart as hell. Their moms were in the back seat and they both survived. One of the girls was an only child.

I made my sons purposefully drop their wheels off the road and taught them how to handle it. Never EVER jerk the wheel.
I had friends die young but when you're young it doesn't seem to hit as hard. Mortality is looking at me now.
 
I graduated from a small USAF high school. There were only 52 of us in the graduating class. This was quite the change from the school I moved from where we had 1000 in each class. But with 52 you knew everyone.
A few months back my fellow editor (she was yearbook, I was paper) Nic died suddenly from a aneurism. She was 51. We still chatted online about our families and kids. Talked about meeting up on one of our trips, but there was always time.
Today I learned Mike died. Mike showed up half way thru my Jr year and everyone thought he was a narc. Guy was 200+ lbs of bodybuilder, hairier than a gorilla, and already had a receding hair line and wore Miami Vice suits. No one was going to talk to the narc. Except that you immediately loved the guy. You just had to. He was in every club from the gifted program to the football team and fit in with everyone. After HS he headed off to the Air Force Academy and only managed a few years in service before a medical discharge for fighting and beating a brain tumor. He got back to living and married his HS sweetheart. She's been with him the last 6 months at the VA hospital while he battled again.
Getting old sucks. Cancer sucks. Losing friends sucks.
Sorry to hear, man. Hang in there.
 
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I recently lost one to skin cancer. It is indeed a stark reminder. We too had a small class of 70ish. We had lost two others awhile back, sadly to suicide. This was the first one that was health related. Have a fraternity brother dealing with brain cancer right now that has left him not the same person post treatment. Can't effectively function as an attorney that he was....
 
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A good thing about graduating with a 650 member class and moving 500 miles away is you don't hear about all the deaths that you know have occurred. I can say that none of my core group are gone.

T&P Belem.
 
Graduated from high school in 1994. Not sure if everyone is alive but all my friends are still alive, healthy, and happy. Same with my college friends.
 
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I had friends die young but when you're young it doesn't seem to hit as hard. Mortality is looking at me now.
Truth. My mom died when I was 21 and one of my best friends died two years ago when I was 30. I took the death of my friend a bit harder. It wasn't because I cared more about my friend than mom, but I think my understanding of death at 30 vs 21 and overall maturity in life is the reason.
 
I will be 72 this summer. I graduated HS in a class of 72. So far 9 have died. I had a core group of a dozen or so from college, so far 5 have died. I had three really good friend from the Army, all are dead. You can run, but you can't hide.
 
I had friends die young but when you're young it doesn't seem to hit as hard. Mortality is looking at me now.
Also, we keep getting older decade after decade, but friends we lost in our youth eternally remain ageless in our mind. They are always remembered as they were the day they died. My cousin committed suicide at 21, 38 years ago, and I still see him as a fun loving kid. He would have turned 60 this year.
 
I graduated from a small USAF high school. There were only 52 of us in the graduating class. This was quite the change from the school I moved from where we had 1000 in each class. But with 52 you knew everyone.
A few months back my fellow editor (she was yearbook, I was paper) Nic died suddenly from a aneurism. She was 51. We still chatted online about our families and kids. Talked about meeting up on one of our trips, but there was always time.
Today I learned Mike died. Mike showed up half way thru my Jr year and everyone thought he was a narc. Guy was 200+ lbs of bodybuilder, hairier than a gorilla, and already had a receding hair line and wore Miami Vice suits. No one was going to talk to the narc. Except that you immediately loved the guy. You just had to. He was in every club from the gifted program to the football team and fit in with everyone. After HS he headed off to the Air Force Academy and only managed a few years in service before a medical discharge for fighting and beating a brain tumor. He got back to living and married his HS sweetheart. She's been with him the last 6 months at the VA hospital while he battled again.
Getting old sucks. Cancer sucks. Losing friends sucks.
I've had 4 friends pass from heart attacks in the last 6 mos. Ages were 49, 54, 69, and 70. And I don't mean struggle then die heart attacks, I mean fall over dead in an instant heart attacks.

I'm 59, I'll retire in 8 months.
 
Sorry to hear it.
My classmate,Dan, was best friend from kindergarten on died at 46. Brain cancer. Beautiful guy, smart ,tremendous shape, Captain at fire dept.
It screwed me up for long time.
Hang in there.
 
I’ve had a run that has to lose steam. Lost two best childhood buddies in the last two years. Lost two first cousins, another long time best buddy and my mom in March. It has been a tough run. Gotta get up off the mat and keep going, although grief is a tough mistress.
Live life like it will not last forever, don’t sweat the nickel dime crap, do not put off reaching out to your peeps, hug your kids every dang chance you get.
PS, do survivors a solid and handle your business. Execute a will.

Oh yeah, cancer sucks!
 
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So sorry for your loss. Pink Shizzle is right. I had a friend die when I was 24 and it hurt. But then I had two friends from HS die in the last 3 years (both in mid-30s) and those hit me like bricks. We grew up together from age 8-35 and those took a long time to get over. I try to stay in touch with both family's kids and go watch them play in spring Baseball. I know their Dads were looking forward to coach them and didn't get to. Makes me sad every time I think of it.
 
Thanks all. Was home alone working when I found out. Needed to talk about it.
It's good you're talking about it. It's good to let out your feelings and emotions sometimes. This isnt meant to be a "woe is me" with us being men but men have a higher suicide rate than women, in part because many are essentially told from a young age to suck it up, be tough, don't show emotion, and many guys feel like no one gives a damn about them. Mental health is important. Talk to people and get things off your chest, even if it's just here on a message board.
 
I was a member of a class of 72 kids. Three died in Vietnam, and a couple died in car accidents, all in the first five years out.

Unfortunately, I have lost track of the rest. We used to get annual updates from folks planning annual reunions, but those quit coming 5-10 years ago so I have lost track. It has been 57 years now, so I am guessing the numbers have thinned by quite a few at this point.
 
I was a member of a class of 72 kids. Three died in Vietnam, and a couple died in car accidents, all in the first five years out.

Unfortunately, I have lost track of the rest. We used to get annual updates from folks planning annual reunions, but those quit coming 5-10 years ago so I have lost track. It has been 57 years now, so I am guessing the numbers have thinned by quite a few at this point.
Holy shit you’re old. This you?

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We had 131 in my HS class. I think we're at about 110 now. Lost the first one from cancer about 6 months after graduation.
 
Holy shit you’re old. This you?

giphy-downsized-large.gif
Well my hair is that color and about that length, although much thicker and full on top ... and without the beard! I would also say that I am a bit more "high energy" than that fellow; he looks winded.

... and I do NOT wear ugly old-man shoes as do all of the guys in the picture. I still prefer to hang out with girls ... so I have that going for me. I have made it this far with only one operation (on my foot) and only one round of cancer treatment and that was for early-stage Prostrate Cancer.

For the most part, I see myself as comfortably sailing through middle-age.

Knock on fricking wood!!
 
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