Lost an old buddy - 09/17/20
I had a couple of cool roommates on deployment in Sicily back in '79 and early '80. One of them was a Photographer's Mate. I had purchased a neat little Pentax SLR 110 in the NX, and Paul taught me a few things about photography. During the five or six months we were roomies, we became pretty good friends.
I remember waking one night on that deployment, and he was getting into his locker and grabbing stuff. He told me his dad had just died and he was going home to Cincinatti for the funeral. That was kinda surreal. He left, and returned later.
I kept up with Paul through Facebook over the years, just casually---once I caught up with him.. Not much more than an "I see you and you see me" kind of thing...I didn't pursue a more personal re-acquaintance because I have found it often has made me feel odd and as if I had intruded into someone's life, basically just by being somewhere no one else wanted me to be...awkward, in other words. I tend to be a pretty warm and open-book kind of person, but I've learned not to expect that of others.
Anyway, Paul called me out of the clear blue one day about two weeks ago. Evidently I did not know him quite well enough to realize he was much like me in terms of willingness to rekindle an old friendship. We talked for about an hour, and it was almost as if we just picked up right where we left off in 1980.
The dude could do anything. He was just one of those people who was interested in everything, and tried out a good many things and usually succeeded.
He dabbled i music (among other things):
I am sure glad I talked to him again for the first time in 40 years. I no longer play on Facebook, but my wife still does and she saw where Paul's wife posted that he very suddenly died yesterday, supposedly from a blood sugar issue.
I was really looking forward to more interaction with my old friend, but I am thankful for what I did get. I'm gonna miss that dude. They won't make any more like him.
Godspeed, Paul Easter.
I remember waking one night on that deployment, and he was getting into his locker and grabbing stuff. He told me his dad had just died and he was going home to Cincinatti for the funeral. That was kinda surreal. He left, and returned later.
I kept up with Paul through Facebook over the years, just casually---once I caught up with him.. Not much more than an "I see you and you see me" kind of thing...I didn't pursue a more personal re-acquaintance because I have found it often has made me feel odd and as if I had intruded into someone's life, basically just by being somewhere no one else wanted me to be...awkward, in other words. I tend to be a pretty warm and open-book kind of person, but I've learned not to expect that of others.
Anyway, Paul called me out of the clear blue one day about two weeks ago. Evidently I did not know him quite well enough to realize he was much like me in terms of willingness to rekindle an old friendship. We talked for about an hour, and it was almost as if we just picked up right where we left off in 1980.
The dude could do anything. He was just one of those people who was interested in everything, and tried out a good many things and usually succeeded.
He dabbled i music (among other things):
I am sure glad I talked to him again for the first time in 40 years. I no longer play on Facebook, but my wife still does and she saw where Paul's wife posted that he very suddenly died yesterday, supposedly from a blood sugar issue.
I was really looking forward to more interaction with my old friend, but I am thankful for what I did get. I'm gonna miss that dude. They won't make any more like him.
Godspeed, Paul Easter.