You were the best manager I have ever had the pleasure to work for. You taught us all that work can be fun if we let it. There were days that I genuinely looked forward going into Beef's to spend time with all my friends and get paid to do so. The days we sat in the office watching Youtube videos, the days we sang Nirvana together, the days we would just talk about life, the days we would spend the whole shift competing in an intense game of Words With Friends, they are all full of good memories. You always knew when I wasn't feeling okay. You could always tell when something was wrong. Whenever there was a time that you could put someone else before yourself, you did it without even thinking twice. That's just the kind of person you were. A loving, selfless, compassionate man that would stay at work late so a closer could go home and study for their test the next day.
The day you left Beef 'O' Brady's I knew things would never be the same there, and they weren't. But whenever you would come visit, you always made sure to say hello to everyone and ask how they were doing. Not because you had to, but because you truly wanted to know.
When I stopped working for Aramark, I was sad that a chapter of my life was coming to a close, but happy for the next one to begin. I will cherish the time I got to spend with you outside of work these past four months. Playing weekly trivia at Gaspar's, and spending countless hours at bars all over Tampa and Brandon just enjoying each other's company with all our amazing friends. You were a part of my favorite day in 2012, when we all went out to Brass Tap. That night was the first time in a long time that I felt pure bliss. And after we closed down the bar, we all went outside and decided to jump those barricades with the caution tape. You hurdled the barricade without any difficulty and Tommy fell to his demise, while ripping his work pants in the process. Just thinking about it now makes me laugh.
I will never forget the random Monday that you and I spent a few hours at the Hard Rock together. You had just finished getting a filling at a dentist appointment and watching you try to drink whiskey while half of your face was still numb was absolutely priceless. We played double exposure black jack and laughed the whole time because of how crazy of a game it is. When I went to pay for my drinks, you waved me off. I said okay I'll buy you a beer at trivia on Wednesday and I will never forget your response: "These things always have a way of working themselves out." Even then I felt the depth of those words, but replaying them in my head now makes me really see the substance in them.
You are no longer here with me or my other best friends that love you so dearly. I'm looking at our current Words With Friends game right now. You have 311, I have 318, and there are 0 letters left to draw from. I remember the day I played the word 'hexes' on you and it turned out to be a 100-something point word. You were so pissed. That was one of our competition days at Beef's. I'm down to my last 7 letters in this current game, but it's your turn now.. it's never going to be my turn again. The gravity of it all is starting to set in.
You were an excellent manager and a wonderful friend. I know I speak for all of us when I say you will be sorely missed by many. I don't see right now how this particular thing will manage to work itself out, but I know it will. Not just because you said it, but because in the end everything happens for a purpose. We may never know the purpose of your passing, but the purpose of your existence is very clear to me. The lives you have touched will forever remain changed for the better. I know you are somewhere right now with Aaron Bright, smiling and singing away in a place that holds no pain. I love you. I miss you. Someday we will sing Eleanor Rigby together again. <3
Love,
Erin
"The sun is gone, but I have a light." - Kurt Cobain
