Rest in Peace, Richard

My step-uncle Richard Lacy passed away on Sunday morning. Richard met and married my stepmother Nancy’s sister Sally later in life, but not too late for them to have their son Bill, whom I’ve known as a younger cousin for most of his life. Richard had three kids from a previous marriage, and while I’ve never met them, I’ve always heard good things about them too.

While the family is understandably sad at losing Richard, we know that he had a good, full life. It might not have been as long a life as we would have liked (is it ever?), but he was 79 when he passed. Despite the illnesses he’d suffered from in his final years, he went as gently as anyone could hope for. We should all be so fortunate.

The morning Richard died—before we knew he was gone—Ann and I brought the kids over to my father’s house for a huge family brunch. My whole step-family was there, along with my sister Kim and her family. That’s 22 people in all.

It was just the kind of gathering at which we often saw Richard, Sally, and Bill, and it felt very different knowing that we’d never have them all there again.

Good-bye, Richard. We’ll miss you, but we’ll remember you for the rest of our lives.