My friend and coworker Richard Ayala once said that here in the I.T. department of the company I work for, we spend so much time with each other that we might as well be family.
It is a sad thing to bury your brother before his time.
But at the same time, I am very happy and very proud to be able to say that I was his friend. He was one of those kinds of people that you genuinely enjoy having around. Quick with a joke, slow to anger, firm in his standards, and loyal to those around him. We were his coworkers, but it was impossible to remain just that with Rich.
At 10:30 pm on March third, 2006, my friend died.
Goodbye, Rich. We will all miss you terribly. We were bettered by your presence in our lives, and we are lessened by it's passing.
In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Santi.
Amen.
