I found myself trying to describe Leroy to an acquaintance at the pool where I swim. You’d think that would be a pretty easy job, but it wasn’t.
I started out by saying he was an outstanding journalist, but I realized I could barely scratch the surface of his career. Then it was on to his wandering the globe, not in the usual places where tourists gather, but in war torn nations and places of human suffering.
Some where in the conversation, I got around to his sense of humor, the laugh heard around the world and then it was just too much. Too much information but yet nothing that really did him justice.
I barely mentioned the cancer years, because that wasn’t who he was.
He NEVER wanted to be his cancer.
So I stopped and just said, “He was some one so right for me.”
June 29, 2015 @ 8:15 pm
It is difficult to describe those we have lost without promoting them to sainthood…nothing wrong with that but most people would just roll their eyes! I just usually tell people Jim was a “salt of the earth” kind of guy. Like Dianne said, Leroy so unselfishly gave us comfort. I think he was a “salt of the earth” kind of guy also.
June 29, 2015 @ 6:25 pm
Perfect response, Laurie.
Cancer was not who Leroy was, but I’m so very grateful he shared himself with us. He truly made a difference.