YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY . . .

Fran passed away in the company of his entire family, seven days after LOST's post about him. The memorial service was a simple expression of great love and admiration for a quiet genius in the art of parenting. A week later, LOST was at another such service, this time for a mom of another great brood, but also a woman who dedicated her life to looking after others - be that as a nurse, a volunteer in bereavement ministry, a classroom docent, a parish library worker, a quiet supporter of progressive causes, and a mom of six greatly accomplished children who enjoy each other's company. An impressive list of meaningful accomplishments over nearly nine decades of life, strongly evidenced by the size of the crowd in attendance at LOST's childhood venue.

And now this one. Fifty five, less than five weeks after being diagnosed with cancer. A quiet, jovial, but dogged man, a dedicated educator, and a father to three young adult sons. A lover of the surf and an aficianado of the open road, who wanted nothing from his children beyond the special gift of time well spent together. Gone in a flash, and a gaping hole left behind. Another funeral. Another venue full of dampened vision cracking voices all around, struggling to hit the notes of "Amazing Grace," or sobbing gently to the strains of "Ave Maria." These reminders of mortality are no longer necessary.