In Memory of

Shari, Mike and the whole Conover family,  thank you for allowing me the honor to speak here today.  I am fortunate to have not only known Tim, but to be a friend of his, elementary and middle school classmate and little league football teammate.  It was a friendship forged in childhood that was cemented by common adventures and misadventures alike.  One particular misadventure led Tim, Bob Jansen, Jim Henderson, Pat Kelly and I to call ourselves “The Fearsome Five,” a friendship of 5 boys that would last forever.  Adulthood imposed responsibilities on us that drew us in different directions.  My childhood memories of Tim would, from time to time, cause a smile to break out on my face and laughter to bubble up from my heart sometimes at inappropriate times, but I think Tim’s irreverence may have liked that.

Tim was magical in many respects, not the least of which was in his ability to make people laugh and smile.  I have no doubt he has made God smile and laugh many times and that may be why God called him home, because God needed to smile again.

My heart hurts, though I am comforted here by Tim’s friends, friends that have known Tim as long, and longer, than I have.  Tim was responsible for my childhood nickname—“O’head”  and you need only to know my last name and see the shape of my head to figure out that bit of creativity.  The fact is no one else thought of it and Tim did; and it made me feel part of the group, it made me feel like yeah, we tease you, but we tease you because we love you and for a child the love of peers is special, though we never used the word “love” it was there and Tim personified it in so many ways.   For me Tim’s love and the love of the other Fearsome Five was and is very special indeed.

I am sorry I could not have helped you more my friend, I want to thank you for your friendship.  You made my life better and I am blessed because of it.   Shari, Mike, Mr. Conover, Mrs. Furois and Jim, thank  you for letting me speak. Tim is missed, but lives on in the hearts of the Fearsome Five and all who knew him.