Randy:

One of our good friends and neighbor of a lifetime passed away on the 8th of November.

Randy had been helping his sister, Pat take care of their mother for the past several months.

A couple years ago, Randy had been in the hospital with heart and kidney problems.  He wasn't expected to live.  There were many prayers sent out for him and miraculously he came out of it.

Then earlier this year he had another severe stay in the hospital.  He had been doing so much better so his sudden death kind of came as a shock.  We expected when he was so bad in the hospital, but not now.  We do think he died peacefully in his sleep, possibly from a heart attack so he didn't suffer any.

This blog is for my own personal memories so if the story I'm about to tell offends anyone, I apologize.

Several (like maybe 15 or so) years ago, we had went to St. James for some family friends 50th Wedding Anniversary.  The Vichy Pig Roast group always has a good time and we had a very good time that night.  I think the boys were too old to be running around with us and it was only April that had gone.  Randy was quite inebriated by the end of the night and his girlfriend had apparently left him there.  When it came time to leave, Randy didn't have a ride.  So we offered him a ride home.

What an eventful ride that was!! Randy was telling stories, some funny and some kind of sad.  Their dad was very strict when they were growing up and he told of some of the beatings him and his brothers received.  Then, he's like, Connie, your dad didn't beat you kids, did he?  I said no, we were made to mind and received occasional spankings but were never beaten.  He went on to say we didn't know how lucky we had.  Then he kind of quieted down, probably about to pass out.

It had started snowing on our way home and turned into quite a blizzard.  The closer we got to home, the worse the road got.  Dwayne really had to concentrate to see the road and watch for the slick roads.  All of a sudden, out of the blue, Randy comes to.  He said, "Connie, your dad is the best man that ever sh_t behind a pair of boots."  I'm like, what Randy?  He repeats it.  I had never heard that expression before but after I figured out what he meant I found it quite humorous and truth be told, honorable to my dad.  (in a weird warped kind of way)  The rest of the ride home was listening to what a wonderful man my dad was and how he treated everyone well.  And we heard the boot story SEVERAL times on the ride.

I think that was one of the longest rides home from St. James, what with Randy's stories and the super slick roads.  But it is a pleasant memory of Randy.  No matter what in this world, people notice when others are nice to them.

The picture in Randy's obituary brought me back to when we rode the bus years ago.  I was seven years younger but I still remember that smile of his.  Randy was friendly no matter where you saw him. 

His brothers and some of his friends started calling him Randolph in the later years.  Couldn't get used to calling him that.  Most of the times I've seen Randy in the past years is on the county road or when I went to visit his Mom, Maxine and sister, Pat.

Randy will be so missed by his family, but I know they are grateful for the "borrowed time" they got the past couple years from when he was in ICU for weeks.

 

I'm grateful to have known Randy and especially his whole family, The Workman's.  We grew up together and continued a close neighborly bond throughout the years.