My Cousin Richard

One month ago today:

As we drove into the Disneyland parking lot on day one, my mom called with the news that my cousin Richard had died. "No...." was all I could say. Richard is one of my favorite cousins. I really didn't know him until after I was grown. You see, my mom's brother Wilson was a fighter pilot in World War II. He flew many missions, and came home with a plane full of bullet holes. He married his sweetheart soon after he got home and shortly after discovered they were going to be parents. Wilson went up to Henry's Lake, Idaho to go fishing with a friend around the 4th of July. They went out on the lake in a little boat. A storm rose quickly and capsized the boat. It looked like Wilson's friend got conked on the head with the propellor and Wilson tried to rescue him and swim with him to shore. They think Wilson finally gave up, too exhausted to save his friend, swam to shore and collapsed from exhaustion. They say he was washed back out. They looked for 3 days, but couldn't find his body. My grandma set out for Henry's Lake. I think she had a dream of where they could find his body. It had washed up on the shore again in a different spot. I don't know how they figured out what had happened, but the autopsy showed that he did not die from drowning.

Anyway, Richard was born a few months later, never knowing his father. His mom remarried. Years later, I met Richard at a family party. The rest of the family knew him, maybe I was just too young before to remember him. He was a chiropractor and adjusted everyone's back. When he got to me he said my back was perfect and didn't need any adjusting. I was a little disappointed as I wanted to see what it felt like. A little while later, I threw my neck and back out at my work and lived with it for 2 years until I couldn't take the pain any more. Eventually I went to Richard. He would adjust me for free, after billing my insurance. When my insurance wouldn't cover chiropractors, he still adjusted me for free, trading for flowers. What a sweet guy! He did it because we were family, though I hadn't really known him. We became great friends and always parted with a hug.

A year ago last December, I really needed to go get adjusted, when I called he said he was just too sick. He never did get better, just got worse and worse. He never really told me what was wrong. His mom said he got really bad arthritis in his hands just like her dad. His wife said his kidneys were failing for the past year and a half. They finally failed on February 23, 2010, one month ago today. He got out of bed and had a massive heart attack and died. How I will miss him. I will miss hearing him call me "kiddo." I will miss his smile and laughter. I will miss his hugs. I will miss all the knowledge he shared with me. He loved learning. He went back to school and got his M.D. then he started studying law. I still can't believe he's gone.

I love you Richard! Have fun getting to know your dad.