Tuesday, August 29, 2023
I have no one memory that sticks out — nor do I feel a right to be posting here.
Still, of all the people from my youth who have passed away, Greg hit me particularly hard.
Jesse Baca, Ricky Kimball/Spoon, Zach Griffin… They were all former “brothers” of mine, where on the one hand I barely knew them, on the other hand it felt like we were family… Greg was the same way, except his death hit me harder than the others.
I think it was because I knew Greg was a genuinely good guy… That’s not to say that the other guys weren’t—they were—but somehow Greg was more “pure” in a way, idk… Maybe that’s a dumb thought. It definitely hurts to keep losing former teammates. Maybe that’s what made the loss of Greg harder than the others—how the losses keep adding up.
In any case, I’m truly sorry to hear that his presence is lost from the world. I can remember Greg and I having a couple stupid minor differences, but overall I think we genuinely liked and respected each other.
My kids played with his a couple weeks after his death too. I didn’t realize they were his at first, as we hadn’t really been “in touch” other than via FB/IG friends. To me, my kids had just found others on the playground similar in age to play with. It wasn’t until my sister-in-law recognized Whitney that I realized who my kids were playing with, especially after Greg’s/Whitney’s kids said “our dad died” to mine. Despite filling me with sad emotions in reminding me of the not-good news in MY world, it also made me happy knowing that my kids were helping temporarily give his a source of not-sadness.
This might be the worst tribute left in these “memories,” but I’m happy to contribute. I said nothing on FB or any of the “usual channels” because I didn’t feel a right to participate, stupid as that may be, but a close friend sent me a link to this and it seemed like a better way to pay the tribute I feel Greg deserves.
If you read this, Greg or not, thank you for reading,
