Goodbye Al

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Added: Thu. Aug 16, 2012 2:38pm
Posted in: Living

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How does one say good bye to an old friend and co-worker who just passed away? What does one say when distance and circumstances meant no contact in several years? A very unique and special man, Al, passed away today. I say unique and special because he was a Quality Assurance specialist who, in the true tradition, saw everything in black and white, right or wrong. To those of us who tried to see all sides, who tried to compromise to get things done, Al was as much a thorn in our sides as he was an ally. But Al held us to higher standards than we held ourselves. To the extent that things exceeded our expectations, it was Al pounding on my desk demanding more that resulted in a much better product.

But as frustrating as he could be as a QA man, he was the exact opposite as a friend. He was kind and understanding. He managed to find joy and laughter in the strange workings of life. He was the one who understood, who could see both sides of things and who was willing to compromise in order to oil the gears of this machine called living. He loved his glass of beer and had a keg on tap for his own enjoyment as well as those who visited.

And when it came to sustenance, it was Al who really introduced me to and fostered my love of snow crab legs. We made it a point to go out for crab legs once or twice a month and always hit the restaurant that offered all we could eat. Eat we would – order after order. As we asked for each additional serving, we could see the amazement on the waitress’s face. I swear there were times when we were but one more crab leg short of simply falling off our chairs. Will power was cast to the winds when it came to those eating fests.(Strange but true fact: I bought two pounds of crab legs on sale yesterday before I heard about Al and had planned and still plan on eating them tonight. Hopefully in some way, Al will join me.)

I suspect as frustrating as black and white Al was to us, he was an equal challenge to his wife, Grace. At times she would simply grin and bear it, other times she would tell Al to stuff it. Grace has the charm of a true southern woman. That certainly ran counter to Al’s more northern upbringing. Yet each in their own way made their marriage work for lo these many years. It is a tribute to each of them.

In thinking about my leading questions, I recall when Al was getting ready to retire. Back in those days ties were required at work, and so Al wore them. But as the countdown to his retirement reached those last days, Al swore he would wear a different tie to work every day, and when he got home he was going to cut it to pieces. When retirement arrived, Al was free from the bonds that those ties represented. I guess the same held true to his passing. He had cancer which spread and became uncontrollable and incurable. So it was that Al shed each last day until the days were gone and so was Al.

God may be understanding and realize that each of us have our good and bad sides. But now God has Al to reckon with, and I’m sure Al will make it abundantly clear that life is black and white – and compromising is not part of the game of life.