Tuesday, March 16, 2010

a little help from my friends







To those who'd like to be included among a few old friends joining to remember and celebrate the life of a common friend we all enjoyed so many years ago. I hope you will understand my instincts since I do this outside the accepted systems for this sort of thing.

Ross died a little more than a week ago. He didn't have an accident or was sick that anyone knew about. His heart simply stopped pumping and he died immediately. Unfortunately I am told he would have been saved by a simple pacemaker- so his death is doubly sad.

Ross had a third wife, much younger than himself and four children - three of them under 14. The forth he adopted who came as a package with his current wife. That daughter is 20 just like we were when we all knew Ross...can you imagine? His sister said he was a great dad which is very easy to understand.
He was an assistant superindentant of schools in a Long Island South Shore school system. He was still a runner and track coach and lived a very busy life as he always had. A guy who always had several projects in the works but not so busy to drop everything to help a friend move or haul something up some stairs or tinker with an engine. He still had a little sports car (told it was not a Porsche however- some things do remain a first wife's domain) but had given up motorcycles. I am told he still looked great. Always important upon an exit.
He and his wife traveled to Paris last year. He wanted to show her a place he'd enjoyed as a young man. I know he loved the city of light and art. Can you imagine he and I saw a first release of "Easy Rider" in a tiny Parisian cinema so long ago? How iconically American can one get in the 60s?
We all know Ross was a funny and quirky guy who really enjoyed you all. I think I know the affection you held for him. I have lots of great memories of simple times we all shared in that bizarre period of cultural history which coincided with our coming of age. Those old memories are really very odd to have these days, so long buried. But they are part of the celebration of Ross' life and hopefully old friends will take a moment to remember a guy we all enjoyed and who captured my heart.
Perhaps you will send this note on to old friends who also knew Ross so we can send him off in wonderful 60's fashion - with a little help from his friends.