My name is Michael or as Duncan dubbed me many years ago "Peg Leg." Duncan was my dear friend who I happened to become his brother-in-law. Aimee had asked me to speak briefly about who he was. I have so many fond memories of Duncan:
-Fishing down on the river
-Enjoying summertime picnics
-Going to concerts
-Cooking
-Working on various projects at someone's house or cabin
-Melting cheese
-Discussing anything from politics to David Hasslehoff
-Building sand castles and water canyons
-Playing with the girls
-Gardening
-Discussing Kenny's penchant for dusting under the rocks of his front yard
-Texas
-Sitting around a campfire
-Partying
-Riding in police cars
-Blowing out birthday candles
One thing in particular that I will always miss is what had become a Christmas tradition. After all the buckeyes were made, me and Aimee and Brett and Erin would take the leftover chocolate and begin dipping and covering various items for Duncan to taste, eat and then guess the identity. Those items over the years included: brussel sprouts, olives, sardines, coctail onions, horseradish balls, jalepenos, pickles, capers and Vienna sausage. As gross as I'm sure it was, he was always willing and smiling at the end as he would inevitably have everyone laughing out loud. That was Duncan to me, the truest of gentlemen, always willing to sacrifice himself for another person's joy or comfort.
It is impossible for me to pick just a couple stories to describe Duncan, so in his own words, I would like to read about him from his Info tab on Facebook...
Erin and I have a wedding photograph hanging in our dining room that was signed by people who attended our wedding. There is a quotation from Sophocles written small in the bottom right corner and I know for a fact that Duncan put it there. I have recited these words over and over in my head since Saturday night and they seem so fitting now.
"One word frees us of all the weight and pain in the world; and that word is Love."
We all love you and miss you Duncan Stewart Brown. Godspeed my friend and R.I.P.
I've been hoping you'd post this, Michael. I loved hearing you read and tell your thoughts, and I wanted to be able to experience the whole thing again. Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us on the blog.
ReplyDeleteThis brings tears each time I read it ~ partly because I am so grateful he had you in his life these past 10-12 years. I'm thinking maybe he'll introduce this "buckeye" tradition up there in heaven.
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