Some things aren’t easy to write. Sometimes I sit down, and I watch the cursor blinking and I just can’t type. Sometimes I have so much to say but I just can’t speak through the keyboard. Like now, how do I sum up a guys life in a few sentences? How can I make you know Don in a couple hundred words? I can’t, and I would be foolish to try. The fact that I am writing about him should be enough for those of you that have followed my PaD.

On July 10th at 12:45pm I went to the hospital and watched Don as he was dying. I watched him fight for each breath. I watched his friends and family cry over him as they said goodbye. I sat there and just stared at him. I have seen a lot of dead people in my life but I have never watched someone I know dying in front of me. I wish I never went to the hospital. I wish I could always remember Don like this picture. While I wish I never went, I am so glad I did.

Cancer, for as horrible as it is, gives you a wonderful gift. Cancer allows you to know you are dying. It allows you to make your final plans, but more importantly, it allows you to say goodbye. When a massive heart attack hits, you just have to hope that you have made your peace with everyone in your life. With cancer, you have time to say goodbye.

I got the call that afternoon saying that the time was near. I went to the hospital, walked into that room and immediately teared up. Don was a shell of his former self. I watched as he fought for every breath and I prayed that he could hear me. I need to believe that Don heard everyone tell him how much he was loved and how much he will be missed. Don was an amazing man with an irreplaceable wealth of knowledge. He was a great crash investigator, a great photographer, a great woodworker, a great shooter, and a great friend. Everyone is great when they die. You hear it all the time. Don was great when he lived. He was the kind of guy that could not tell a friend “no”. I don’t remember ever hearing him tell a friend that he couldn’t do something for them. Don was active in our police explorer program. As a final act of Don being Don, he has asked for all memorial contributions to go to the Explorer Post. That was Don.

I left the hospital at 2:00 pm. I leaned down and said my goodbye to Don and wished him an easy journey. By 5:30 he was gone, thankfully. Don deserved a better end than he got. Don was one of the good guys. Don deserved to retire and drive his Corvette across the country while shooting his camera in one hand and his gun in the other.

I took this picture a year ago for work. After I took them we noticed that Don didn’t have his badge on because it was on his raincoat so we never used these pictures. We kept saying that we would retake them but something would always come up.......and then he got sick. These are just a fraction of the awards that Don won through the years for shooting. I really like this picture of him. This is how I want to remember Don.

I will go to his funeral this week. I am at peace with my goodbye to him, so I will go for closure more than anything. I thought he would be around longer. He fought the good fight but the cancer just became too much too fast.

I’ll see you Don. We had a good run bro. Good times. I’m gonna miss you man. You made a mark that won’t soon be erased. The thousands of cops out there that you taught will always owe you something. You were one of the good guys. One of the guys that made a difference. You deserved better than this but I am glad it’s over. I hope you finally found peace. My passenger seat is always open for you, and frankly, I could use the help.

Rest in Peace brother.


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