A Hard To Believe Shock

 When I spoke with a friend about two months ago, he looked great and he was the same friendly person he had always been. I have known him for 48 years beginning when he and his wife owned Aquarius Travel in Arvada. The majority of my travels were arranged by him and I got to the point where I trusted his advice. I was sorry when they closed the travel agency around 2003 but since computers were being used by individuals, there was no need for travel agencies. I attended mass at the Shrine of St. Anne and would occasionally see him through the years. He was devoted to his mother and I would see them at daily mass. His wife began working at the Archdiocese of Denver and since I also worked there, I got to know her. 

When he retired he would attend mass at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community and it was always so nice to see him. We would greet each other with a hug and we would chat for a few minutes. He began helping at Mt. Olivet Cemetery after he retired and I would see him whenever there was a funeral mass at the church. In January of 2021 I saw him and had a nice chat about what we were doing during Covid. Today, I was reading the church bulletin and read where he had passed away. What? How could that be? He looked great and healthy when I spoke with him. My heart was filled with sadness and tears flowed from my eyes. This was so difficult to believe or to understand. 

I know I will miss Bob Nelson; his warm, friendly smile and his sincere hugs. May God keep him close.  The saying that God takes the best is certainly true! I feel bad for his wife, children and grandchildren along with the rest of his family and friends. He will surely be missed. 

Today, at St. Joan of Arc the funeral mass for Bob was at ten o'clock.  The church is beautiful and Fr. David Bluejacket (Our Lady of Loreto) read the Gospel and Fr. Marty Lally (Holy Family) gave the homily. Fr. Lally told the story of the man who wanted to be an engraver of large building dedications. When he asked his master what is the most important thing he had ever engraved. The answer was "a tombstone because on the tombstone you need to put the year of birth and the year of death separated by a line. That line is the most important piece of engraving because it is the life of the person; everything he or she did in life."

At the blessing of the coffin Fr. Lally held the incense burner above the casket and I watched the smoke go straight up in the air and I thought it was Bob going directly to heaven! 

As Father gave instructions about going to Mt. Olivet for the internment he said, "One thing that worries me is that Bob is probably thinking we are taking him to work!" 

We laughed because Bob worked at Mt. Olivet for many years.

   Rest In Peace, my friend.

"The comfort of having a friend

may be taken away

but not that 

of having had one."

Seneca