A Tribute to Old Friends and Mentors

They are all dying
One by one
My lifelong friends
My sacred mentors
Fading as time passes
One by one
Dropping like flies
Dying in the Winter
Falling like leaves
Dropping one by one
As they leave this life
Leaving all too soon
One by one
Leaving this life
And leaving a void
A deep and dark void
And lonely
Except for the memories
That remain
And will ever remain so precious
Even as I say goodbye
A final tribute
To my loved
And respected friends
Those who are departed
And those who are in the Autumn of their lives:
Robert Smeatherman
My favorite professor
Bob Saake
My Masters Degree mentor
Tom Whit
Who gave me my first teaching break
Carlos Velasquez My Arizona best of friend
Bron Ingoldsby
Truly my brother by a different mother
Bill Konopniki
My mentor who treated me as an equal
Gordon Skeels
Who dared me to do impossibilities
Joe Race
The friend who made me feel like family
Geoff Bury
The friend who has always believed in me
Each of you taught me about caring and friendship
And each of you will always be a part of me
Thank to each of you
With hopes of seeing you in the Hereafter