Sad things happen too

I tend to use my blog to write about the fun and adventures in our lives, but it would be foolish of me to think that we only have ups in our lives. Last week was a rough one in the Bennett house. On June 4th our friend and a great mentor to Shawn, Rob Edgerton, lost his battle with cancer, he was 55.

Shawn and Rob created a close bond while working together at the Redbirds. He was one of the nicest men I have ever met. At his funeral on Saturday, many different people spoke about how much they loved him and what an amazing guy he was. Each person new Rob from a different faze of life, but the all of the stories had the same bottom line. He never met a stranger and treated everyone as a friend. He was genuine and always wanted to hear the latest and greatest from everyone.

His brother told a story about Rob that I can't get out of my head. As a 5-year-old in the late 1950's Rob and his brother were at the grocery store with their mom. There was a brand new water fountain in the store. Rob and his brother were giving each other boosts up to get a drink. Two other brothers come over to the fountain, and they were all giving each other boost and taking turns drinking from the water fountain. A few minutes later, a lady, maybe the store owner or manager came over to the boys. She swatted Rob on the rear and said "How dare you." She pointed to the sign above the water fountain that read "Whites Only." He looked her square in the eye and said, "That's wrong." He wasn't talking about her swatting him, he was talking about the sign above the water fountain. The two other bothers were African-American. That was the prefect example how Rob treated everyone that came into his life. He set a great example that people are people, and everyone deserved to be treated equally and with respect.

We decided that we needed to go to the Redbirds game on Saturday night. I just didn't feel the same without Rob there. It was a really tough night for Shawn, and at times me. I was feeling his pain, and I was hurting for him. The game ended with a firework show. In my opinion, the perfect send off for Rob.

Thank you Rob for being such a positive influence on my husband's life. You meant a great deal to him, and you will live on in our hearts.

I would also like to send my regards and condolences to my great uncle Emil's family (My dad's uncle, my grandma's brother.) He passed away on June 3rd. He lived in California, so we would see him and his wife Carmel on occasion. He was a great man that was loved and respected by many.