Sunday, March 04, 2007

Goodbye Joe


My old and dear friend Joe passed away this past week. I cannot believe he is gone. We are the same age. We graduated high school the same year. We remained friends for some time after that. But, as the years drew on and our lives took us in different directions, we lost touch.
Joe was a gentleman in every sense of the word. He could make you feel like a lady...and treated you like one, too. There are few people in my life that have done that for me. As a lesbian, men tend to think of you as someone for their girlfriends and not a real person. But Joe was a different sort. Joe loved people and people loved Joe. He had an infectious laugh and a quick wit.
My fondest memory is of coming out of church on Sunday and having to look for my car because Joe had grabbed it by the bumper and moved it to another spot in the parking lot! I lost track of how many times he did that. Every single time it was funny. You ask how he could move the car? Joe was a hulk of a man. But every bit of him was a gentle giant.
I must admit my heart is heavy. This comes under the heading of "why do all the good ones die?" But I know that God/dess in infinite wisdom needed Joe. He's probably moving all the cars in the parking lot of heaven and laughing the entire time he's doing it! I think God/dess continues to smile at this big man. And even though I have lost someone whom I held dear in my heart, I know we will meet again. That is our hope.
Joseph G. Vickers
1959-2007
Rest in Peace

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