My Brother's Friend

Loss of a good man

My sister called last night and said that my brother's dear friend, Johnny, has passed away. Johnny and his wife have been neighbors to my sister and family for years. My brother used to live in that neighborhood too, and that's how he and Johnny happened to become close friends.

Johnny was older than my brother by a good bit, nearly as old as my dad. I imagine he thought of Dwight as a son in many ways. The few times I happened to see Johnny and Dwight together, I was impressed with the camaraderie and respect they shared.

Johnny's wife once told Dwight that he was the only one who would listen to Johnny's trucker stories. Dwight says he knows Johnny's tales of his trucking adventures were all true, because the facts in them never varied from one telling to the next. I should add that Dwight has done enough trucking to appreciate a good trucker story.

Deep, true friendships don't come along often in life. I'm sad for my brother's loss.