Dick Byrd, 82, a dear friend of 30 years, a practicing physician and adventurer died last week after suffering a blow to the head in a fall while hiking a rocky area on the coast of Cuba. He and his wife were part of a group led by National Geographic Expeditions. He certainly did not fit the sterotype of an athlete as he was not very tall and had a slight sinewy build.The most amazing part is he did most of his adventures AFTER the age of 50.
He and his wife paddled kayaks off the Galapagos Islands as well as northeastern Greenland. He climbed major peaks all over the world including such as Kilimanjaro and hiked to the base camps of Mount Everest and K2. He'd trekked in Nepal, India and Buton, an island in Indonesia. He canoed Alaska’s Noatak River into the Bering Sea, kayaked the Strait of Magellan in Chile and rode out 400 miles of whitewater in a canoe, with his wife, on the Nahanni River in Canada’s remote Northwest Territories. In his late 70s he trekked 200 miles across England, walking an average of 20 miles each day and then wondered if he was in good enough shape to run a marathon. He proved he could by finishing the Portland Marathon, just before he turned 80.
This was the second death of a friend in a week... The other was DH's closest friend and partner of 20 years in keeping things running smoothly at the senior center with countless hours of volunteer time.. They also solved the problems of the world over coffee several mornings a week... Friends are so precious and losing one really makes one treasure the friends still alive.
.jpg)
7 comments:
I am so sorry that you have lost a dear friend. My condolences. Sending you hugs
So sorry to hear about the loss of your friend and the friend of your husband. My sincere condolences to you both. Hugz
I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your friends. Dick Byrd has certainly left a wonderful legacy behind, though.
I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. What an amazing life he led and it must have been awesome to count him as a friend. It must have been a sad week to lose two friends. Hugs to both of you.
Sorry you and you husband lost good friends. It sounds like they both lived life to the fullest.
I am sorry to read about the loss of your 2 friends. I think your DH will miss his daily friend at the senior centre. As life goes on we are losing friends almost monthly and it is a sad thing but at the same time life is life and we all go sooner or later. That is why we should all live each day to the fullest and be kind to each other.
Extra hugs
FredaB
Sorry to hear about your friends Gerry. I think that is probably my Dad's greatest sadness...watching all his friends fail and pass away...
I lost a friend this past week too...A girl I went to high school with who has three children. And even though my friend Jill is doing better, I've been taking a second friend to and from the hospital for the last month or so for radiation for her cervical cancer. We just found out that neither chemo or radiation is helping her so, unless there be a miracle, we're going to lose her too. Another close friend of my sister's has had a double mastectomy last week to breast cancer...all of this led me to look up why it is that so many of my friends are fighting and dying from cancers...I think I know eight women between 45-55 right now who have cancer. That's a lot. They claim lifestyle and artificial hormones. I have to think it's the hormones because each one of them has been fit and healthy...My sister and I were just saying how we seem to be making every other dinner for someone else these days.
Sorry. I know I shouldn't talk about my issues when comforting you on yours...it's all sad no matter how you slice it. Big hugs...
Post a Comment