Wish I had known that guy...

Last week my dad's first cousin's husband had a massive stroke and died.  His name was Gary and he was a character.  I attended his funeral on Sunday and the whole time I sat there thinking, gosh, I missed out, I wish I had know that guy.

I knew Gary, as much as I could know someone I see once or twice a year.  Most of my memories of him are from long ago.  But every single memory I have of him is a good one.

Here is what I did know about Gary.  He was super funny, he was successful, he was family and he was a die-hard Illini fan.  Any time I was ever around Gary, he was laughing and carrying on and you could not help but get sucked in.  Gary was a successful insurance agent and owned his own agency. Gary was family...albeit a little distant to me, he always knew who I was and took the time to speak to me and act interested in me and my life.  You could not know Gary and not know that he was a completely obsessed and very dedicated Illini fan.  I remember their old van...because it was painted in Illini colors and something you just didn't forget.

When we were kids, he let us fair rats (cousins) run a lemonade stand outside the secretary's office. Looking back, it was probably to keep us out of the secretary office, but it was so much fun...and it did keep us occupied for a while.

So what do I mean when I say I wish I known him?  When I heard he had died, I immediately thought of his daughter, LeeAnn, who had passed away in a car accident in 2004 and I hoped they were having the biggest reunion ever at the gates of Heaven.  And then I wondered, was Gary a Christian? I had no idea.  It bothered me, until I read his obituary and learned he was a very active member in his local church.  Praise the Lord.

I then read some tributes and newspaper articles that had been written about his passing and the life he had led, and boy, did he do life BIG.  He was very, very active in not only his church but his community, his county, his country and his family.  He served in Vietnam, was on the county board of his large county and active in various community committees and clubs.  He was a super FUN guy who didn't know a stranger.  His daughter, Amy, talked a lot about him being the high school Sunday School teacher at their church and how important that was to him.  She also said that no matter how late Saturday night's tailgate at the Illini game went, they were at church on Sunday morning.

I was so enamored by all these wonderful things that I never knew about this guy that I really liked but didn't really know.

Just a few weeks ago I saw him at a cousin's wedding.  I was getting ready to leave and he called me over to his table...with that great big grin that he always wore.  We exchanged the usual pleasantries and then he told everyone at the table with him about what I had written and read at my grandma's funeral, how much he loved it, etc.  A few weeks after my grandma's funeral, he either Facebooked or emailed me and wanted to know if I had a copy of what I had read at the funeral.  I had recorded it ahead of time, but could not figure out how to send the recording so I emailed him the written version of it.  I'm not sure why, but he really got a kick out of that reading.  He told me the day of her funeral and again two years later.  He remembered that little thing about me.

I am sad for Gary's wife, daughter, and grandsons because I know they will miss him dearly.  From the way it sounds, his death is truly everyone's loss.  I missed out myself.

I sure wish I had known that guy better...