Goodbye Duane

Today was a sad day for the Measom side of the family (my mother's side). We said goodbye to my cousin Duane. He was 49 years old and left behind 3 kids- the youngest is a senior in high school. Duane was an amazing person. Duane and his wife Judy were neighbors with my sister, Charlene and I spent countless hours hanging out with Jessica and Charlene. I practically grew up in that neighborhood and that included Duane and Judy's house. Jessica and I would hang out with Duane and Judy, eating their food, making cookies and "sparking" in the bathroom with Duane. He told me that "sparking" with him counted as my first date. "Sparking" includes breath mints, a mirror and a dark bathroom. Needless to say, we always had fun with Duane and Judy. Duane had a way to make you feel so important. He was such a happy, fun loving guy. He loved life and lived it to the fullest. He had a great booming voice and you always knew when Duane was in the room. He was usually the guy telling the stories that happened to get better each time he told one.

I didn't see Duane as much as I grew older, usually at family reunions, but whenever I saw him, he always had a way of making me feel like it was yesterday that we were hanging out at his house and going "sparking". I realized as I walked into his funeral today, that Duane had the same affect on everyone he met. The church was packed and they said the line for the viewing the night before was 6 hours long. His family members told stories that made us cry and laugh at the same time as we remembered his great life. What a pity that he had to leave his family and friends behind in such a tragic way. 2 months ago, Duane had a severe headache. 5 hours later, he was taken to the hospital, fell into a coma and never woke up. I visited Duane in the hospital a couple of weeks ago and left knowing that he would probably never leave alive. Even though I know that Duane is in a better place, I will miss him.