Tomorrow would have been a good friend from high school and college's 55th birthday. John died during the bicentennial weekend in 1976 in a freak accident in college, and the details of what happened were never clear- he was found in his apartment, with no signs of foul play so it was ruled accidental.
It hit me hard at the time, and at his funeral I promised that he'd live in my memory, and I'd never forget him. Over the years I've visited his grave site many times, my son once remarked about "the park where Daddy goes and cries". I's always leave a small flower or something, and in all the years his family never put flowers or anything on the grave for Christmas, Easter, his birthday.
I visited his grave with a couple people from high school on the 25th and 30th anniversaries of his death, and while I could not be back for the 35th, I posted on classmates.com and a mutual friend was going to be in the area, and I mailed a small cross for him to put on the grave marker.
A few weeks before he died, I had 2 tickets to see the Grateful Dead play in the arsehole of the east coast, Passaic, New Jersey. I stopped by his folk's place where he was living for the summer and rebuilding an old BSA motorcycle in the garage. I asked him if he wanted to see the 'Dead' play the following week, and he looked up at me and said something I'll never forget, "Bill- one thing I've wanted to do before I die is see the Grateful Dead in concert". He was buried less than a month later.
I was the last person known to speak with him, he called me that night and said he was running late, and would be at the party I was at later, "and not to worry". I never worried where he was or wasn't.
One day, which I'm not wishing for too soon, I believe I'll be standing in Paradise, and after my 1st golden retriever runs up to me and we finish hugging, he's the first person I want to go see and ask what happened that night.
My wife would say I'm obsessed and should 'let it go', but I always remember making that promise in the back of the church to remember him.
If you can say a quick prayer for John P. Geraci tomorrow, June 3d I'd sure appreciate the gesture, I certainly remember you folks requests for prayers as much as I can.
It hit me hard at the time, and at his funeral I promised that he'd live in my memory, and I'd never forget him. Over the years I've visited his grave site many times, my son once remarked about "the park where Daddy goes and cries". I's always leave a small flower or something, and in all the years his family never put flowers or anything on the grave for Christmas, Easter, his birthday.
I visited his grave with a couple people from high school on the 25th and 30th anniversaries of his death, and while I could not be back for the 35th, I posted on classmates.com and a mutual friend was going to be in the area, and I mailed a small cross for him to put on the grave marker.
A few weeks before he died, I had 2 tickets to see the Grateful Dead play in the arsehole of the east coast, Passaic, New Jersey. I stopped by his folk's place where he was living for the summer and rebuilding an old BSA motorcycle in the garage. I asked him if he wanted to see the 'Dead' play the following week, and he looked up at me and said something I'll never forget, "Bill- one thing I've wanted to do before I die is see the Grateful Dead in concert". He was buried less than a month later.
I was the last person known to speak with him, he called me that night and said he was running late, and would be at the party I was at later, "and not to worry". I never worried where he was or wasn't.
One day, which I'm not wishing for too soon, I believe I'll be standing in Paradise, and after my 1st golden retriever runs up to me and we finish hugging, he's the first person I want to go see and ask what happened that night.
My wife would say I'm obsessed and should 'let it go', but I always remember making that promise in the back of the church to remember him.
If you can say a quick prayer for John P. Geraci tomorrow, June 3d I'd sure appreciate the gesture, I certainly remember you folks requests for prayers as much as I can.
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