Sunday at 2pm we held the memorial for Dennis. Yes, it was an afternoon that shed many tears for someone we loved and for most, never had the chance to say “goodbye”. But it was also a great time of reunion for many friends and sharing of some of the craziest, funniest, happiest memories that Dennis brought to each of us.
As I told Den near the end of his life, “Den, you need to be in heaven because we have to keep that summer monopoly game going, we need another night of Marco Polo in your pool, we have to sell more lemonade, chocolate chip cookies and “creepy crawlies” on the northern most Bristol Street island.
Our bee-bee gun and dirt clod fights are not finished, there are more tree houses to build, battles of “army tank” to be held in Chris Murray’s upstairs hallway and games of “3 flies up” to play on the 2nd circle across from his house. There are still many more things to blow up at Bill Blanke’s, more slip and slide afternoons at my place next door with lunches made by Maria 1, Maria 2 or Rita.
We still need more summers at The Beach Club, playing paddle tennis, rafting for hours, showering in the locker room for hours and always getting kicked out because we used up the club’s hot water and ordering burgers and chocolate malts from Eddie at the Grill,
There are more Bill Cosby albums to laugh to, more eggs to fill with Nair and throw on unsuspecting trick-or-treaters on Halloween, more Dog Bones to eat, more Graham Cracker mush to savor, more Andy Griffith, Gunsmoke and Bonanza episodes to watch.
Last but not least, we have so many more bike rides down to the Brentwood Country Mart for hamburgers, fries and ice cream at 31 Flavors.”
Den, I pray that we’ll do all those things and more someday again and that you can re-live all of the wonderful memories you made with all of your friends from every stage of your wonderful life.
We miss you badly Den, but hopefully those crazy / fun-filled times will pick up right where we left off….