Remembering Andy
Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 10:27 am
I'm still in shock -- I found out about 10 minutes ago. Every day I take public transit to work. It's a small town, and only a few buses, so I chat with the bus drivers and get to know them a little bit. One of them I'll call Andy. He's a great guy, always sporting a baseball cap and a big ol' mustache, who always shouts, "HEY, XIAO!" (with my real name of course) when I get on the bus. He's such a warm and friendly person with this great sense of humor; he never fails to bring a smile to my face. he loves canoeing, birdwatching, and cold winter days when the world is blanketed in snow. I know he brings smiles to a lot of passengers, even though he doesn't know them well. Not that I was very close to him, but you can tell that he's just a ray of sunshine that always brightens up even the gloomiest winter days.
Today I learned from another one of the bus drivers that he died last week. He'd been in and out of work the past few months, and I hadn't seen him in a while, but I didn't think too much of it (figured he might be on vacation or visiting his grandchildren or something). But apparently he had been feeling really ill, and two weeks ago he went to the doctor and discovered he had leukemia with less than a week to live. It happened so fast. But in his last week, he wrote his fellow bus drivers a good-bye letter, as well as his own obituary (which is due to come out tomorrow; he promised it would be hilarious. Just goes to show you the kind of guy he is!) I know he wouldn't want anyone to make a fuss over him (he also didn't want a memorial) ... I still plan on lighting a candle for him when I get home. We weren't close or anything, but I still wish I could have gotten a chance to pay my respects and say goodbye. He was a good man, and I know he lived a long, rich life filled with humor and joy, surrounded by his loved ones.
Thanks, Andy, for just being a warm light in the world. Wherever you are, I know you'll be happy. You'll be missd.
Today I learned from another one of the bus drivers that he died last week. He'd been in and out of work the past few months, and I hadn't seen him in a while, but I didn't think too much of it (figured he might be on vacation or visiting his grandchildren or something). But apparently he had been feeling really ill, and two weeks ago he went to the doctor and discovered he had leukemia with less than a week to live. It happened so fast. But in his last week, he wrote his fellow bus drivers a good-bye letter, as well as his own obituary (which is due to come out tomorrow; he promised it would be hilarious. Just goes to show you the kind of guy he is!) I know he wouldn't want anyone to make a fuss over him (he also didn't want a memorial) ... I still plan on lighting a candle for him when I get home. We weren't close or anything, but I still wish I could have gotten a chance to pay my respects and say goodbye. He was a good man, and I know he lived a long, rich life filled with humor and joy, surrounded by his loved ones.
Thanks, Andy, for just being a warm light in the world. Wherever you are, I know you'll be happy. You'll be missd.