Requiem for My Brother

Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine :

et lux perpetua luceat eis.

In memoria æterna erit justus,

March 26, 1950 to
                 February 6, 2010

You all know and remember Bruce the husband, the father, the grand father, but I remember Sonny, my younger brother, my playmate and recently my friend.  I'd like to share some of my Sonny memories with you.

Sonny was born in Oakland Naval Hospital in March 1950.  He was in such a hurry to start living that he was almost born in a hospital closet as they rushed to ready a delivery room.  Of course he was premature, anyone with his love of life would arrive early.

We spent a couple years in Grafton ND with Mom and our grandparents.  It's a time we never remembered clearly except for a flight or two to California.  In those propeller plane days Sonny was allowed into the cockpit to see the pilot flying the plane.  How exciting that was!!


From ND we moved to San Diego where we spent all our growing up time.  First we lived in Linda Vista where Sonny loved to play in the canyons behind our house.  It was the beginning of his love affair with the outdoors.  The canyons started just beyond the end of our lawn and extended as far as the eye could see.  We had forts and castles and everything a child could want to fill their fantasy world.

He grew up the only boy in a family of girls.  There were many times he felt overwhelmed I'm sure but he held his own.  Even he admitted it was cool to have your own bedroom when everyone else had to share with several others.

Later, in Clairemont, he got involved in organized sports:  he belonged to the Boys Club, and the Boy Scouts, he played Little League.  He was always busy for sure.

We didn't have many toys but we learned to make our own, we made kites from newspaper, strips of wood and string with a tail made from a ripped up sheet, and they may not have been pretty but they flew.  We took an old rusty pair of roller skates (the kind that needed a key to make them fit onto your shoes), and a piece of wood and made our own ugly skate boards.  Really only good for falling off and scabbing your knees.

Sonny needed challenges, always striving harder for something, never content with the status quo.  He took every math class our school offered and they had to come up with math seminars to keep him busy.

He played football and he was much too small to be front line but in one game the fumble came to him and he ran it in for a touchdown.  Which, unfortunately was recalled as blown dead.  His one shining football moment.

After school he continued his love of life, his need of a challenge --  he backpacked Yosemite's back country among other hikes, he white water rafted, he broke a leg on a motorcycle, and then he discovered long distance bicycling.  It offered everything he needed, a challenge, lots of variety in the rides, and a huge sense of accomplishment.

I leave others of you to fill in the adult moments of his life, he loved his wife and children and was proud of their accomplishments.  He loved his grandchildren but again, those are his grown up days.

My brother loved life, and lived it to the fullest.  He was seldom bored, he died doing what he loved, and he is mourned by those of us who remain.  What more can we ask for in this life?

Sonny, I will miss you every day.  Thank you for being my brother and my friend.