Last week I received word that a former colleague of mine passed away. His name was Jamie and he died after a brief illness. Even though I had not been in contact with him for quite some time, we were friendly when we worked together and I will always think of him warmly and as a friend. He was an author himself, a very good one in my opinion. He started his writing journey long before I got moving on mine. Actually, that may not be entirely accurate. I think we may have begun around the same time, but he was ballsier than me and actually completed, edited, and published his first book while I was still doodling, trying to make headway of any sort. He was much better organized than me and not afraid to put himself out before the public and their judgement. It’s not easy doing that, opening yourself up to people’s opinions. Just look at the majority of message boards and comment sections. There are a lot of bravely anonymous keyboard warriors out there more than willing to take you down. Like I said, he was ballsy.
We used to discuss favorite authors and found that we had several in common, namely Lawrence Block and Elmore Leonard. He gave me a cinderblock of a book consisting of many of Lawrence Block’s earlier short stories. While it made for excellent reading, it was a bit daunting. Block is a master and reading story after impressive story, some from when he was very young, it made me wonder if I could ever be a fraction of the writer he is. In all likelihood, probably not. Interestingly, to me anyway, I learned that one of Block’s early novels is set in the tiny western New York town of Olean, where I went to college. Shout out to St. Bonaventure University.
Jamie was a teacher when I knew him. He worked with kids who had special needs. It’s difficult for me to imagine the patience necessary to be successful at that job. But he was. Jamie created a unique protagonist for several novels, Tyler Cunningham, a character who himself could have once been a struggling student trying to find his way in his early years. I strongly recommend checking out the Tyler Cunningham Series, by Jamie Sheffield. I bet you’ll be glad you did.
I think part of the reason I was distressed to hear of Jamie’s passing is because he was about ten or so years younger than me. It’s always shocking to learn of someone younger dying from illness. It’s self-centered, I know, but my thoughts move from Jamie and the loss his family must be feeling, to wondering about my own mortality. I have many more years behind me than I have ahead. It’s sobering to be reminded that those years ahead could end at any time. You need to make your time count. If there’s any silver lining, it may be to be reminded of that.
Gail and Ben, I’m sorry your husband and dad is gone. He is remembered fondly and respected by those who were fortunate enough to have known him. Even though he left the Adirondacks, he will always figure prominently in my thoughts of them. Right now I’m going to crack open my Lawrence Block short story collection, enjoy some terrific writing, and quietly send Jamie a Thank You. It will definitely be time well-spent.
