Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Mourning

Back in 1991, I began playing first Battletech and then Champions 4E with a group through my oldest friend Barry. Within months, even though I was a sophomore in college, my weekends were spent entirely with Barry, Mark M., Richard, Todd, Mike, Jonathan, Bob, and Aarron (the lack of girls there was not a conscious choice, we simply couldn't find any ladies willing to join us).

Yesterday, after a long battle witch cancer, Aarron passed. He left behind an amazing wife and son and a lot of memories.



He would have been 47 in November. I'll be 46 in September. He was way too young.

In the last several years, we'd grown apart because of living about an hour away from each other and he raising his family and me raising mine. There was no malice or falling out, just life. I always intended to get our families together and simply thought we had plenty of time. I was wrong, as we always are when we think such thoughts.

I'm not going to let nostalgia color that first gaming group because we all had a fair share of problems and conflicts and we probably spent nearly as much time arguing about rules at the table as playing, but a small part of me would wonder about getting the band back together for a weekend.

Sadly, that can't happen now.

Aaaron was an amazing person. Even at a young age he knew who he was and wasn't afraid to be that person. He was strong of opinion and loved to debate, but did so with logic and not emotion. He was a loyal and true friend. And I will miss him terribly and my heart breaks for his wife and young son.

Some things that I remember about him:

He only got two haircuts a year to save money.

He gave us a pick and a shovel for a house-warming gift.

We my son was a small, he's now 17, and I would say "we are going out to run errands", he would hear that we were going to Aarron's and weep when we did not.

I love and miss you Aarron and will be praying for your family.

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