A friend of mine died. Massive heart attack. Only a year older than me.

[Redstone]

This was a guy who never smoked or drank, no drugs, was in good physical condition, no extra weight, no high blood pressure, no warning signs.

Just like that. BAM!

I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go. I'll miss him. He was a friend, and I also did business with him. Damn.

Redstone

[RetroLounge]

1. ...

:hug:

RL

[Suich]

2. I'm so sorry, Redstone.

:hug:

[Dangerously Amused]

3. Sorry for your loss, Redstone.

[Midlodemocrat]

Redstone. I am so sorry for your loss.

We just went through this, as you know. My husband had no risk factors and had a quadruple bypass.

[Redstone]

7. Is your husband continuing to so well? I do hope so.

Redstone

[Midlodemocrat]

10. He is, thanks. A friend of a friend just dropped dead like your

friend did, 52. No risk factors, no indications, no nothing.

Pretty scary shit.

As stressful as what we went through this summer was, it is much better than the alternative. I'm just grateful we caught it; and what a fluke that was.

:hug:

[Redstone]

21. Let us thank whatever entity we thank for small favors (Or large ones.)

Redstone

[Guava Jelly]

4. sorry man!

Shit like this is just fucking senseless.
The good ones die young while the assholes live forever.

[miss_american_pie]

5. I'm sorry for your loss

:hug:

[Blue Diadem]

6. I'm so sorry Redstone

:hug:

[Gormy Cuss]

8. It's weird when that happens, but it is a good reminder.

The only guarantee is yesterday. Today's iffy, but it's been good so far.

Redstone, sorry you lost a friend so suddenly. I know that it's tough when you don't get a chance to say goodbye.

[Redstone]

13. You're right about no guarantees. We gotta have fun while we can. After

all, you'll never see a gravestone that says "I wish I had spent more time at the office."

I said fuck it and took the day off today. Went to the library (therapeutic for me), then spent the afternoon with Mrs R (she left work early to come home and hang out with me).

My customers can wait a day. All the deadlines can wait a day.

Redstone

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. I'm so sorry, Redstone...

I think most of us hope for our end to be quick rather than lingering in pain; but it is so much harder on those we leave behind. I hope you and all his family and friends find comfort in each other soon. :hug:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

11. I'm so sorry....

:hug:

[jobycom]

12. Condolences, RS.

[Xipe Totec]

14. So sorry to hear

You know from my posts that my family has more than it's fair share of sudden cardiac infarctions.

One of my brothers died on a golf course, surrounded by half a dozen doctors, one of them my brother-in-law.

When it's time, it's time, and there's nothing that will stand in the way of the grim reaper.

That's why you should always spend your day as if it was your last one on earth.

Carpe diem!

[Redstone]

22. Carpe diem, indeed. Every one of them.

Redstone

[bigwillq]

15. I am very sorry for your loss.

That is very sad. :hug:

[devilgrrl]

16. That is horrible..

I'm so sorry about your friend. :hug:

[zanne]

17. I don't like reading the obituaries lately.

I've reached that age. (54) An old high school friend of mine died last week. I know this is just the beginning.

[Redstone]

23. My cousin calls the obituaries "The Irish Comics." Can you tell that

she's from Boston?

Redstone

[Bridget Burke]

74. I've had friends & acquaintances die over the years....

But the causes were suicide, OD's, drunk driving, etc.

Very sad. But now they are beginning to die from "natural causes."

[bicentennial_baby]

18. baby....

:hug: :hug: :hug:

[Redstone]

24. Thank you, m'dear.

Redstone

[Shine]

19. Life is fragile and things can change in a heartbeat, literally.

I'm sorry for your loss, Redstone. :hug: Whew, what a wake up call, eh?

I hope when I go, it's fast like that.

[Redstone]

30. Yes, I think going fast must be the way to go. I lost a parent each way.

Mother, long dragged-out battle with melanoma.

Father, dropped dead getting into the boat to go bass fishing.

(If only he had done that while reeling in a REALLY BIG bass, it would have been perfect.)

Me? I want to buy it at the age of 85 from hitting a bridge abutment at 150 MPH in a Ferrari while getting, well, you-know-what from a 23-year-old, black-haired waitress who was a paramour of Mrs R's. She, of course, would be saved by the airbags. And would remember me fondly, while living happily forever after with Mrs R.

Redstone

[SeattleGirl]

20. My condolences to you, Redstone

:hug:

[benburch]

25. A friend on mine died that way on his 40th birthday.

He sat down in his easy chair and closed his eyes, and was gone.

[AirmensMom]

26. I'm sorry, Redstone.

:cry: That really sucks. :hug:

[LeftyMom]

27. I'm sorry.

:hug:

[Quakerfriend]

28. So terribly sorry, Redstone.

Our passing here is so very short. It's a reminder to us all.

[Kajsa]

29. I'm so sorry, Redstone.

I recently lost my best friend from high school to cancer.
It hurts like hell !

You're in my thoughts, Redstone.
A big hug is coming your way.

:hug:

[Redstone]

31. Thanks for that.

Redstone

[jus_the_facts]

32. My condolences...

....may he rest in peace. :hug:

[flvegan]

33. I'm sorry, brother.

Genetics, maybe? Maybe no really good rhyme nor reason. Regardless, a loss. His family?

[Redstone]

35. Maybe bad genetics. His brother died in his 40s of brain cancer. Again,

right out of the blue.

My friend's kids are 13 and 11. Too young to lose a father. But is anyone ever old enough?

Rhyme and reason: Makes me wonder how much envoronmental factors have to do with it. My mother and her two sisters all had cancers of one or several kinds (her two sisters are still alive, miraculously enough). But the two brothers never had a speck of that kind of problem.

The family brainstormed on that a couple of years ago when they were all here for thanksgiving.

You know what the difference was? The three sisters, who were the oldest, swam in an abandoned quarry when they were kids. This abandoned quarry was in Cambridge, Mass, so you can just imagine the toxic shit that had been dumped into it.

By the time the two brothers got old enough, the quarry had been filled in.

And one of the sisters never smoked, and NONE of them ever drank, and yet they got cancer of all varieties.

Environmental factors, indeed.

Thanks for listening. Makes me wonder about my friend, being a printer, and exposed to all those solvent chemicals over the years...

Redstone

[flvegan]

36. I'm totally with you here.

Environtmental factors...what you can't really control when you're a kid and a tire swing hangs over a pond that's so polluted, a hazmat team needs to come in when it freezes and a hockey game goes wrong.

We'll be dealing with asbestos, too, friend, until we're both too old to remember why.

[Redstone]

38. Yes, the asbestos is some bad shit. I used a lot of it when I made

jewelry, which I did for a living for about six years.

But what the hell. My grandfather smoked three packs of Chesterfields a day (I never saw him without one) until he was 78 years old (then he got remarried after my grandmother died, and his new wife made him quit), and he lived to be 92. Or 94; we're not sure. And was pretty peppy right up to the end.

As I said: when you gotta go, you gotta go.

I anticipated a thoughtful response from you, and you didn't let me down. I appreciate that. Do tell LM I appreciate her response as well, would you?

Redstone

[Gormy Cuss]

48. Jerry's Pit?

North Cambridge, near the Alewife Brook Parkway? That place is infamous and close to former sites of industries known to have polluted groundwater.

edited to correct the naming from the 'official' one to the name the locals call it.

[Redstone]

54. Jesus Christ, you know it! They lived on Garden Street.

I don't know what else to say, because it's late and I've had several drinks.

But you know that place, yes? Damn.

When we went to the park at the edge of the quarry in the 1960s, we used to fight the rats (some the size of medium dogs) with golf clubs. Have no idea who in my family might have played golf, but the clubs were at my Grandma's house. And we put them to good use.

Redstone

[merh]

34. Sorry, Redstone.

:hug:

[Redstone]

39. Thank you, m'dear. With all your own troubles, you still have time

for other people's. You're a saint.

Redstone

[LadyoftheRabbits]

37. I'm sorry, Redstone

It's terrible when there is no warning... it's terrible anyway. :grouphug:

[Redstone]

40. You are wise beyond your years. You'll do well in life.

You can trust me on this.

Redstone

[NNadir]

41. I am very sorry.

The deaths of young people are always a shock.

[Dinger]

42. God That Sucks. Live Each Day To The Fullest

Because you never know what the next day wil bring. I am so sorry Redstone.:-(

[cleofus1]

43. please accept my condolences...

nt

[southlandshari]

44. Thinking of you

and your friend's family.

:hug:

[Redstone]

49. Sharita: Thank you.

We don't see enough of each other these days. And way too long these days have been.

You need to come home.

Redstone

[samplegirl]

45. Wow

So sorry to hear this Redstone. Makes you wonder...thats usually
the type that have heart attacks. (Not fair)
Treasure the memories.
You have my heartfelt sympathy.

[crim son]

46. I'm sorry to hear that.

It's difficult to lose a friend, especially one close in age. :hug:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

47. My dear Redstone.....

My deepest condolences..........how terribly hard this must be for you, and for his family....

Sudden death like this is always hardest on the family and friends...

And easiest on the person dying......


Speaking medically if I may.....sounds as though he might have thrown a clot. There is no escaping how bad those are if they happen to land in a bad place......

I am so sorry......

Today, I told two people who I love more than my life how much I love them.......

I don't think you can ever say it enough.

:hug:

[Redstone]

52. Good you said that to them. You never know when another chance

will come, do you?

This is a guy who I've done business with since the days I STARTED my business. He was just getting himself established at the same time as well, so there was some synergy there. We grew our businesses together, to some extent. We went from the world of film & stripping & Matchprints, to the world of DTP.

Too bad that he won't get to see the next generation of adavances in printing technology. But fuck that; too bad his kids won't be able too put grandkids on his knee. He'd have liked that.

Enough of this for one day. See you later.

Redstone

[graywarrior]

50. Whoa. That's tough to deal with, peers dying.

Sorry about that, bro.

[Redstone]

64. Yes. You're one of the good ones, so don't you think about leaving me,

OK? That's just NOT allowed.

Redstone

[graywarrior]

65. Never. EVER, dude.

[rockymountaindem]

51. My condolences

[Sugar Smack]

53. Hi, cousin. I am so sorry.

So many of us never know what is going to take us or when. I know it's mystifying for you to witness someone your age going early, especially one who seemed to take such good care of himself. My heart goes out to you and his family. Knowing a person like you was a gift in his life, I'd say.

Much love from me. :hug:

[Redstone]

56. Sugie! Why haven't you been here? I heard you were on the road,

but you didn't stop by. I'm mortally offended.

Hey, I have flat-rate long distance phone service now. Send me a PM for a phone number, I'll give it to you, you can call and I'll call back right away.

Are you OK, sweetie? I worry about you. Talk to me.

Redstone

[Sugar Smack]

60. Hey boyo- I was on the road South and not North : )

We went all the way to The Keys!! Otherwise I would have stopped and made myself at home in your fine digs. And I mean AT HOME. Hugs all around, lots of questions. I'll PM you tomorrow for the number too. We can talk and catch up. 3 weeks in the Keys made me shed some really bad habits, but I'll stop there. I'm up for traveling because I have some free time now, as you well know.

You're the best. Lots of hugs and kisses for you and your family.
I'll talk with you soon.

:* :hug:

PS- Are there really 5 Redstones in your living room and 1,000 cans of tuna under your bed? What a fascinating house you must live in!

[Redstone]

61. Yes, it's an interesting place. You have to come see it sometime.

Sugie, I'm SO glad you're back.

And will wait impatiently to hear of your adventures in the Keys. It's another world down there, isn't it?

But if you were in Key West for that...well, you know that festival I'm talking about, I'll expect pictures.

Yes, I still love you, even though you've been gone.

Redstone

[WCGreen]

55. Sorry to hear that......

[Floogeldy]

57. Really scares me.

I've never lost a friend. I won't know how to deal with it.

Hang tough, Redstone.

[Redstone]

63. You'll learn soon enough. At least I hope you will. The alterrnative

to burying friends is to die before they do.

Brutal, maybe, but there it is. Choose one or the other, not that you actually get a choice.

Just the way of the world.

Redstone

[driver8]

58. A good friend of my father's dropped dead at 58 of a heart attack.

My father was also 58 at the time and was still working. He put in his papers for retirement the next week.

Sorry to hear about your friend, Redstone.

[tuvor]

59. Sorry to hear about your loss, Redstone.

My condolences. Take care.

[RevCheesehead]

62. It makes no sense, does it?

That's why I advocate living life fully, and always telling people that you love them.

I love ya, buddy. :hug:

[GardeningGal]

66. Wow, sorry for your loss.

It's always hard, but for someone with young children it seems even tougher.

:hug:

[Courtesy Flush]

67. Same here

But not recently.

A few years ago a neighbor of ours, still in his thirties, died suddenly of heart failure.

His wife told me that they had no idea he had a heart problem, and the Coroner's office told her that, if they'd known, there would have been no way to prevent his death, because of the severety of the defect.

He was a really nice guy, too.

[barb162]

68. I know 2 people like that, my age

one from cancer and one from heart problems. Both this year. And the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet. Both came as a big shock to me. One was a business associate and one was a neighbor. Sigh, I will miss them both.

I am sorry you lost your friend

[Lydia Leftcoast]

69. I'm so sorry, Redstone

It's very sobering to lose someone who is close to yourself in age.

We nearly lost my brother the other day--and he's five years younger than I. He had a heart attack, and luckily, there were other people around to do CPR and call 911. I shudder to think what would have happened if the heart attack had taken place next week, when he was scheduled to be on a camping trip. :scared:

[RFKHumphreyObama]

70. My deepest and most sincere thoughts, prayers, condolences and

sympathies are extended to you and all those who knew and loved your friend. I know from personal experience how hard it is to lose a friend especially at such a young age. I'm so, so sorry to hear the news

My deepest and most sincere thoughts, prayers, condolences and sympathies once again:hug: I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers

[auntAgonist]

71. such a shock when it happens. I'm sorry

for your loss. I'll remember you, his family and friends in prayer tonight. May he rest in peace and may his family find comfort in the memories they shared. I hope you too are comforted by the years of friendship, memories and good times.

sincerely.
aA
kesha
:hug:

[LynzM]

72. I'm sorry to hear that, my friend

:hug: Love and hugs to you, and his family and friends.

[Misunderestimator]

73. I'm so sorry Redstone.

A dear friend of mine passed away a little over a year ago, also healthy, trim, non-smoker. He was younger than me... only 41.

It's one of the reasons I stopped smoking shortly after that.

Sorry for the loss of your friend, RS. :hug:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

75. sorry for your loss

:hug:

[havocmom]

76. Missed this one last night

So sorry for your loss, Redstone.

Sending strength. I have plenty to spare right now.

Someday, we'll discuss the mysteries and drink to those we love who have scouted ahead for us.

:hug:

[Zhade]

77. You have my condolences.

:hug:

[Redstone]

78. Not kicking this thread, just taking the opportunity to thank all of you,

especially the people I don't know...that shows what a great place DU is, that relative strangers will jump in an offer condolences, just because that's the way DUers are.

Redstone

[NC_Nurse]

79. I'm so sorry to hear it.

I had a scare recently. Left arm and leg went numb..had to go to the ER to rule out a stroke. I was lucky, turns out I just had two different radiculopathies at the same time - thanks to degenerative disc disease! It was pretty damn scary though! I feel for you, I thought maybe my family would possibly have to deal with a 45 year old mom's/wife's death and I was more worried about them than me.

It's so scary to have someone close die so young too! In my career as well as in my life, I have learned that it's best to have your affairs in order and tell people you love them every day. Ya never know!

Hugs to you! :hug:

[CanuckAmok]

80. Sorry to hear, Redstone.

And let this stand as a cautionary tale to anyone thinking of quitting smoking, drinking, overeating or drug use...


Same thing happened to a friend of my mom's a few years ago. He was maybe 45. He just lay down for an afternoon nap and died. When they did his autopsy they discovered that he had this extremely rare genetic condition that can cause sudden death (I think it was cardio-vascular, but I don't remember). When he was alive, there was absolutely no sign that anything was wrong with him.

[joneschick]

81. so sorry for your loss Redstone.

may your pain be as brief as possible and your memories long and rich. :hug:

A dear friend's younger brother died suddenly on his honeymoon a couple years ago. He had been told during a checkup that his cholesterol was a little elevated and should be investigated and dealt with when he got home.......his poor bride woke up with a dead man in Mexico. Devastating for everyone. again.......:hug:

[Briarius]

82. That sucks dude

sorry for your loss :toast: