People Who Died

(with a nod to The Jim Carroll Band)

I have reached an age--59 later this month--at which many of the people I have known in my life are now dead. Relatives, friends, associates, so many are gone and so many have met unnatural ends. At odd moments, I find myself mentally cataloging all the different ways they have died. Here, in no particular order, are the people who come to mind:

• Uncle Bud died at 47 of a heart attack during open-heart surgery.
• Aunt Mary Anne died of breast cancer 19 days later.
• A guy I worked with at the MSOE student newspaper died of AIDS in the early '80s.
• Henry drowned while whitewater kayaking on the Crystal River.
• Victor drowned at Lake Powell while swimming between boats.
• Ryan drowned trying to save his dog from drowning. The dog lived.
• Haley died in a water skiing accident at Ruedi Reservoir.
• David died in an avalanche while helicopter skiing in Canada.
• Atsushi died in a fall while climbing Mt. McKinley.
• Doug died when his helicopter crashed while setting utility poles near Glenwood Springs.
• John crashed his plane into Monterey Bay.
• Bob died when his plane crashed, along with a client and the client's dog.
• A guy from my guitar class died while paragliding when he couldn't stop a spin.
• Mary crashed her car into a bridge abutment in Milwaukee.
• Jeff was killed on his motorcycle in a collision with a truck near Glenwood Springs.
• Gary died of complications following a bicycling accident.
• Dan died of a heart attack while skiing at Snowmass.
• Howard died of a heart attack while mountain biking near Aspen.
• Greg died of a heart attack while water skiing at Ruedi Reservoir.
• Eric died of a heart attack at 42.
• Pete died of Lou Gehrig's disease at 47.
• Randy died of lymphoma at 49.
• Chris died of lymphoma at 66.
• Nancy was killed in her sleep by an intruder with a hammer.
• John, Joe, Chris, Larry and Mike all died from long-term cocaine abuse.
• Deborah died of an intentional cocaine overdose.
• Gene died of an accidental cocaine overdose.
• Dan died of an accidental heroin overdose.
• Bob died of a drug overdose before cancer could kill him.
• Sam died from internal bleeding after mixing an antidepressant with ibuprofen.
• Bruce drank himself to death.
• Jim killed himself after a messy divorce.
• Kevin killed himself after being bullied by his boss.
• Bil killed himself over money troubles.
• Scott killed himself when he couldn't fulfill his dream.
• Stewie jumped off a pedestrian bridge on his way home from work.
• Larry was killed as the result of a hit-and-run accident while driving home from work.

They are not forgotten.