Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Mourning


A great friend, and wonderful man, Gerad Meteyer, passed away on Labor Day 2007. It has come as a complete shock to me, as well as his family and other friends. One of the seizures, that he had suffered from since his diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, caused him to fall, and that fall killed him. During this very emotional week, my thoughts have run rampant. How unfair. Why such a young man? He was only 34. And what a free spirit! A high strung, happy go lucky, take what life gives you, free spirit. He was willing to help anyone, with anything. He gave his time and his love freely. He loved children. He was cursed with the damned TYPE 1 DIABETES. How unfair. I am trying to take a page from Gerad's book, and live life as fully as possible. He will be dearly missed, by me, and by many others whom he has touched.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Erinn,

You are wise to try to live life as fully as possible. It is perhaps the best way to honor him by. I too was shocked when I heard Gerad's passing this past Saturday. He was a darn good friend back in college (I was one of his roommates back in the day), and he definitely sucked the marrow out of life each and every day, his Diabetes be damned!

Anyway, Thanks for your post and hang in there!

I am off to continue writing a letter to his family...

Mike

Fat 2 Fit said...

Erinn,
I know that he meant a lot to you, I am sorry for the loss of a great friend. For you and everyone that knew him.

Anonymous said...

I met Gerad through a friend some years ago when I was in college. We were like best friends since. He we there when I got married and was always a good person to talk to when me and the wife got into it. I'm still having a particully hard time this time of the year because we used to talk about sports. As good as all of our teams are doing this year, it's not the same without my pal Gerad.

I recall a conversation we had at my house only some months before his departure. Gered knew there was a chance of going early and that's why he made the best of every day.

About a year ago, he talked to me about how he had one of his really bad seizures at his apartment. he must have been out for hours. Since he lived by himself, It was really dangerous. This past year at camp, he heard of someone dying at a young age because of diabetes. While I don't believe Gered knew he was going to die or anything silly like that. I think in this past year, he did in some ways make a greater effort towards the things that are more important in life like family. He saw me less the past year and his family alot more.

It was just a couple months before he died, he was sitting on our porch drinking a few beers. It was that weekend after he died we were supposed to hang out again.

The same thing happened to me as well. I spent more time with my kids and family. I just wish that we still had those occassional nights were we could sit and watch the game, gab about what's going on in the sports world, and get the Gered insight on things.

He was a real friend and I'll miss him.

Anonymous said...

I was bored tonight, googling old friends I had lost touch with. Imagine my shock and sadness to find that Gerad, a friend from college, had passed away. I am so sorry for your loss, and join you in mourning someone who truly deserved better.

Anonymous said...

Strangely, I was doing the same thing as the person above. I was recently down in Farmington and thought about Gerad so I thought I'd google him. I couldn't believe what I read. I dated Gerad back at State, he was a wonderful guy. Since leaving State I often wondered what came of him. So glad to hear he continued to touch people's lives the way he touched mine. God could that kid make me laugh. This world will be a lesser place with out him.

Wendy Wittenberg (Harper)

Anonymous said...

(Alphaville, “Forever Young”)

I’m sitting in my son’s darkened bedroom on the evening of January 22, 2008, helping my boy enter dreamland. I’m going through some MP3s that Kyle gave me a few days ago and I came across a track called Gerad’s Mix. At first, I thought that it was a mix that he had put together for the living Gerad before Labor Day. Only after I double-clicked on it did I realize what it was. I am now listening to Gerad’s Mix, a group of songs compiled by Kyle for Gerad’s funeral home slideshow. When I heard the first few seconds of “Forever Young,” I could hardly catch my breath. (Louis Armstrong, “What a Wonderful World”)

I haven’t wept tears for our loss for some weeks now, although I think of Gerad constantly. Last week, I felt he was particularly close to me and I even talked aloud to him. Some nights I see him in my dreams. Some days I hear my three year-old talk about how when he goes to heaven, he wants to play with Uncle Gerad, Great-Grandpa, and “the little boy,” a child we told him about who also met death too soon. (Guns N’ Roses, “Don’t Cry”)

I used to hear the warnings of taking life for granted and for failing to treasure every day. Never again. Never be too proud to tell someone you love him. (Beatles, “There Are Places I Remember”)

I love you, Gerad.

Your Brother,
Brett