HOW I SPENT MY VETERAN'S DAY
As many of you know I'm a vet, a proud American veteran & today is Veteran's Day. A day that was designated to honor current & past servicemen & women, not cause for a tire sale. More about that later.
I was honored today, not as a veteran, no, I spent my afternoon being honored in a completely different way. I was a pallbearer at a friend's funeral. His name was Rick Smith & he succumbed to mesothelioma after living nine years past his "6-months to live" death sentence. That's exactly what Rick did, he lived, oh boy did he live. Between the chemo & radiation treatments, the surgery to remove one of his lungs, medication that would have put a horse down, Rick lived his life like few people I've ever known.
He met & married his true soulmate, Dee & together they formed one of the best bonds of marriage I personally had ever seen. They loved their kids, he had two sons & a daughter, she had two daughters. But they soon became one large extended family. The kids, the grandkids & even Rick's parents, Carroll & Helen, were here at The Lake in retirement. They were together for the births of their grandchildren, Rick & Dee were frequently traveling to see kids/grandkids or they were visiting here at The Lake. Holidays were the major event at the Smith house, Dee would shop & cook for a week preparing for all the family that would arrive for another memorable Thanksgiving or Christmas.
They loved sports, not a season went by they didn't go up to Kansas City to see a couple of games at Arrowhead. Rick was a devoted Chiefs' fan, he was buried in his Chiefs' baseball shirt. The flower arrangement on his casket was red roses & other gold flowers. I can't remember ever seeing Rick without a Chiefs cap or one from the Mizzou Tigers, one of his other loves. Rick & Dee loved 'em some NASCAR too, they traveled to Daytona regularly for the 500 & to Bristol for the fabled "Night Race."
I was introduced to Rick & Dee about 5 1/2 years ago. As we talked over a few beers, he told me he had contacted mesothelioma from his work as an insulator. He was a member of the Heat & Frost Insulators Union, which means Rick was exposed to asbestos. He told me he insulated radio & TV towers. I told him I knew two guys who did that in Kansas City before we moved to Las Vegas. When I told Rick their names, he said he had been a pallbearer in both their funerals. They were on his crew of nine guys & that he was the only one still alive, this hideous disease had claimed them all. He told me it was his goal to beat it & would do whatever it took to do so. He told me his life was better than it had ever been now that he & Dee were one & he didn't want to lose that anytime soon. Whenever I was around them, their love for each other was so obvious.
Over the years I spent more than a few afternoons at the American Legion having a couple of beers with Rick & during the entire time I knew him, I never heard one word of complaint come out of his mouth. No matter how awful he felt, no matter the pain, he'd always slide off his barstool & give me a hug when I arrived. The last few times that hug got weaker & skinnier. We spent a Super Bowl Sunday in their home & they spent a couple over here in the TV bunker watching Sunday football, 5-screen style. Dinners, barbecues, or just a couple of beers at the legion, I was always inspired by the way Rick & Dee played the cards they'd been dealt.
Sunday, as I was cursing the Chiefs as they gave away a game to the Raiders, the phone rang. The caller I.D. on DirecTV came up & said the caller was Jimmy Ray, probably my oldest friend here at The Lake. I answered & Jimmy said "Rich we lost little Rick this afternoon." It took a second for it to sink in but truthfully, it was a call I knew I'd get one day. He said Rick had asked for me to be a pallbearer along with Jimmy, Ron & 3 others. I knew Rick would be pissed off at the Chiefs too.
As the pallbearers were led into a packed funeral chapel, it was apparent how many lives Rick Smith had touched. My experience with Rick & Dee was similar to many others, they touched people the same way regardless of how you came to know them.
We took the casket out of the Hearse & toted it up to the gravesite, fall leaves fluttering all about, a few lighting on the floral arrangement & it made me think. Not everyone could have met Rick, but those who did, were in a very special spot, a place filled with respect, true friendship, laughter & love.
Farewell Rick, you'll be missed.
Rick Smith 1953 - 2010
I was honored today, not as a veteran, no, I spent my afternoon being honored in a completely different way. I was a pallbearer at a friend's funeral. His name was Rick Smith & he succumbed to mesothelioma after living nine years past his "6-months to live" death sentence. That's exactly what Rick did, he lived, oh boy did he live. Between the chemo & radiation treatments, the surgery to remove one of his lungs, medication that would have put a horse down, Rick lived his life like few people I've ever known.
He met & married his true soulmate, Dee & together they formed one of the best bonds of marriage I personally had ever seen. They loved their kids, he had two sons & a daughter, she had two daughters. But they soon became one large extended family. The kids, the grandkids & even Rick's parents, Carroll & Helen, were here at The Lake in retirement. They were together for the births of their grandchildren, Rick & Dee were frequently traveling to see kids/grandkids or they were visiting here at The Lake. Holidays were the major event at the Smith house, Dee would shop & cook for a week preparing for all the family that would arrive for another memorable Thanksgiving or Christmas.
They loved sports, not a season went by they didn't go up to Kansas City to see a couple of games at Arrowhead. Rick was a devoted Chiefs' fan, he was buried in his Chiefs' baseball shirt. The flower arrangement on his casket was red roses & other gold flowers. I can't remember ever seeing Rick without a Chiefs cap or one from the Mizzou Tigers, one of his other loves. Rick & Dee loved 'em some NASCAR too, they traveled to Daytona regularly for the 500 & to Bristol for the fabled "Night Race."
I was introduced to Rick & Dee about 5 1/2 years ago. As we talked over a few beers, he told me he had contacted mesothelioma from his work as an insulator. He was a member of the Heat & Frost Insulators Union, which means Rick was exposed to asbestos. He told me he insulated radio & TV towers. I told him I knew two guys who did that in Kansas City before we moved to Las Vegas. When I told Rick their names, he said he had been a pallbearer in both their funerals. They were on his crew of nine guys & that he was the only one still alive, this hideous disease had claimed them all. He told me it was his goal to beat it & would do whatever it took to do so. He told me his life was better than it had ever been now that he & Dee were one & he didn't want to lose that anytime soon. Whenever I was around them, their love for each other was so obvious.
Over the years I spent more than a few afternoons at the American Legion having a couple of beers with Rick & during the entire time I knew him, I never heard one word of complaint come out of his mouth. No matter how awful he felt, no matter the pain, he'd always slide off his barstool & give me a hug when I arrived. The last few times that hug got weaker & skinnier. We spent a Super Bowl Sunday in their home & they spent a couple over here in the TV bunker watching Sunday football, 5-screen style. Dinners, barbecues, or just a couple of beers at the legion, I was always inspired by the way Rick & Dee played the cards they'd been dealt.
Sunday, as I was cursing the Chiefs as they gave away a game to the Raiders, the phone rang. The caller I.D. on DirecTV came up & said the caller was Jimmy Ray, probably my oldest friend here at The Lake. I answered & Jimmy said "Rich we lost little Rick this afternoon." It took a second for it to sink in but truthfully, it was a call I knew I'd get one day. He said Rick had asked for me to be a pallbearer along with Jimmy, Ron & 3 others. I knew Rick would be pissed off at the Chiefs too.
As the pallbearers were led into a packed funeral chapel, it was apparent how many lives Rick Smith had touched. My experience with Rick & Dee was similar to many others, they touched people the same way regardless of how you came to know them.
We took the casket out of the Hearse & toted it up to the gravesite, fall leaves fluttering all about, a few lighting on the floral arrangement & it made me think. Not everyone could have met Rick, but those who did, were in a very special spot, a place filled with respect, true friendship, laughter & love.
Farewell Rick, you'll be missed.
Rick Smith 1953 - 2010
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